


Tiny Little Bows

by Mini_Rey



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Catboys, Denial of Feelings, Discrimination, Fluff, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Hybrids, M/M, Minor Character Death, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Pining, Sexual Harassment, Slow Burn, Smut, and dogboys, minor jongsang, mpreg is discussed, not while they’re underage, other minor relationships - Freeform, society sucks, yunhwa main pairing but there’s seongjoong for a second
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:53:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 176,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25625464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mini_Rey/pseuds/Mini_Rey
Summary: Seonghwa and Yunho are an unlikely pair, in a society where your status as a hybrid defines every aspect of your life.Let the catboy/dogboy chaos ensue...
Relationships: Jeong Yunho/Park Seonghwa, minor Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa - Relationship
Comments: 367
Kudos: 503





	1. The Early Days Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello atinys!  
> this is my first time writing a fic for any fandom, it’s unbeta’d so there’s probably a lot of spelling mistakes
> 
> just for reference, in this universe all people are hybrids, so people with ears and tails of either a canine or a feline. and queen and tom are like omega and alpha terminology for cat hybrids with some minor differences  
> also this universe is fictional! none of the stigma between the different hybrid types is supposed to be exactly like discrimination of our world  
> also the college system and everything are very American... so I hope that isn’t too confusing for everyone outside of the states
> 
> the title apparently shares a name with a carly rae jepsen song. didn’t know that but I’ll give credit where credit is due
> 
> that’s all! please enjoy!!

It’s around 1 o clock on a Monday and the spring air smells like hot concrete and sweat, kids running back and forth, teachers yelling. And somewhere in the back of all that a slight hint of rain. That means the clouds will come in. That means Seonghwa should put on his raincoat before the hot concrete is covered in puddles.

Seonghwa is nine years old, sitting with his legs crossed one over the other and half a tuna sandwich in his hand, uneaten. He’s silently watching a group of kittens in his class play, sit, eat, his little black furred ear twitching from his usual spot on the lone green bench. He doesn’t remember the playfully romping kittens’ names, didn’t take the time out of his day to, doesn’t care to anyways. It’s always some scruffy little tabby trying to coax some fun out of their friends and ending up in a harmless scuffle, always the purebreds club sitting at the picnic benches acting like it’s their throne. Always some sort of social divide, even if it isn’t obvious, even if the teachers try to promote inclusivity. Seonghwa’s always wondered about that. If they’re all so inclusive here why aren’t there hardly any dog hybrids on the playground then. 

“You gonna eat that tuna?” 

Seonghwa turns abruptly to the source of the interruption, a short kitten hybrid with very clean-looking white ears, looking at him with wide eyes. Seonghwa takes another good look at his sandwich before deciding he’s not hungry. 

“No... here you can have it.” He hands the sandwich to the little hybrid, who looks not quite as interested in the sandwich as he is Seonghwa. 

“You’re bow is really pretty.. where did you get it?” The little white haired kitten sits all proper down next to Seonghwa on the bench, crossing his legs one over the other, to which Seonghwa shifts a bit awkwardly. The black haired kitten reaches up to touch the satin of the little red bow in his hair. His parents had taken him to the mall for his birthday two weeks ago and let him pick out one item from his favorite section in the mall. The one that had all the shiny colorful ribbons on display. 

“My parents got it for me at the mall... do you want one too?” Seonghwa asks hesitantly, not sure how to continue this conversation.

The little kitten answers with enthusiasm. “I’d love to get a bow as pretty as that one... the queen section at the store is so full of them... I feel like all queens should wear bows, they’re so nice around your ears.”

Right. Seonghwa was a Queen. A minor detail he often forgot about. He didn’t really know what all that meant but his mamma and eomma says his status will be important when he gets older, that he’ll have classes specifically for being a queen at school in a few years. On his parent’s many outings in town, Seonghwa always wondered why they separated the clothing sections into toms and queens. Shouldn’t toms get to wear bows too? Seonghwa thinks his eomma would look very dashing in a bow and she’s a tom...

“Do you wanna sit with us?” Seonghwa is brought out of his train of thought once again. The little hybrid is pointing a thumb towards the purebreds club picnic disaster. Seonghwa sighs. This is the third time since school started back up the purebreds club has unsuccessfully tried to get him to join. Seonghwa forgets his pure blood most days, much like he forgets his status as a queen. He isn’t even sure how the rest of his schoolmates figured out he was a purebred in the first place. Being born with pure blood means you’re held up on a silver platter by society supposedly. Seonghwa hasn’t given it much thought. He was never really interested in joining, he gets enough purebred culture out of his parents’ luncheons and dinner parties with the angoras down the street. 

“Maybe another day... but thanks” Seonghwa smiles as sweetly as he can. He doesn’t know why he keeps stringing them along when he’s never actually going to join.

The little hybrid lays his ears down dejectedly. “Oh... well if you ever want some company... you know where to find us” the kitten skips back over to the picnic tables, and Seonghwa is alone again. He’s turned down another potential friend again.

Being advertised as a “safe, comfortable social environment for young kittens” you’d think Seonghwa would have made a friend or two. His mamma keeps nagging him about it, that’s for sure. 

Seonghwa tells himself he could care less what people think of him, or if he has any friends. He will... someday he reassures his mamma. He just hasn’t met the right kitten yet. 

Right now as the gray clouds roll in, Seonghwa wishes the sun would stay in the sky, so he could sit on the green bench and observe the scenery for just a minute longer. His teachers say he’s good at that, observing, seeing. Assessing the situation. Seonghwa doesn’t understand what that’s any good for yet. His eomma and mamma say he will in time. Seonghwa doesn’t understand that either.

There’s a sudden crack of thunder that sends all the kittens in the front of the playground running and screaming in excitement, and at that Seonghwa knows it’s time to get up. Their teacher, Ms Lee calls all the kids in his grade to line up outside the tall school doorways. The sky looks ugly now, Seonghwa’s never been a fan of rainy weather. 

But before he can start moving to join the other kittens in line, Seonghwa moves an ear to his left as a small whimper sounds from the bushes next to Seonghwa’s bench.

Is someone crying? Are they hurt? Seonghwa’s eyes widen curiously. He’s not even sure why he looked for the source of the noise, not sure why he bothered to stay behind when there was about to be rain.

Crawling around the bush, fluffy tail perked up in interest, Seonghwa pushes back the shrubbery to reveal a very small, very upset puppy hybrid curled up on the ground, face red with tears. His fluffy golden hair is tousled and has bits of mulch tangled up in it, his floppy golden ears drooping, tail tucked in at his side. His hands are covering part of his face.The kitten hybrid hasn’t seen him on the playground before, or in any of his classes. 

Seonghwa blinks, unsure of what to do at first. The puppy doesn’t look hurt, at least on the outside. He should find a teacher but upon looking over the bushes towards the door he can see all the teachers have gone inside with the rest of the kids already. They’re probably starting up class now.

Seonghwa turns his attention back towards the boy who is so curled in on himself he hasn’t even noticed Seonghwa’s presence. The kitten sits down on his knees and clears his throat tentatively.

“Hey are you hurt?”

The puppy ceases crying just a bit and looks with big wide eyes up at Seonghwa, hand moving from his face. He still doesn’t speak, so Seonghwa asks again.

“I think everyone else went inside already. We’ve got to catch up with them. Do you need a grown up?”

The puppy hybrid sniffles just a bit before another crack of thunder echoes across the playground and the little golden haired boy curls in again and resumes his sobbing, shaking with fear.

The boy mutters between sobs. “Can’t... m- move” 

Seonghwa scrunches his face with an amused huff “yes you can! The doors right over there, silly!”

The little puppy shakes his head stubbornly. “I’m... I’m afraid.” He looks fearfully at the black eared kitten above him, who isn’t shaken whatsoever by the scary noises around them.

Seonghwa reaches out to put a little hand on the boy’s side. He’s wearing a cotton blue t-shirt and the material is soft on the kitten hybrid’s fingers. The little puppy’s golden hair looks like it would be softer though. 

“You’re ok, it’s just thunder... it won’t hurt us.” Seonghwa tilts his head, a cute little habit he’s gotten into. “Well I mean the thunder won’t hurt us but if we don’t go in soon there’ll be lightning. Lightning probably won’t hurt us either but...” Seonghwa trails off.

The little boy is looking expectantly at Seonghwa like he’s supposed to reassure the boy of their safety. He needs to get the boy to come in at some point or he’ll get soaked by the rain. Seonghwa continues assuredly. “But thunder’s just scary cause it’s loud right?” 

The golden haired puppy blinks in a way that makes him look even smaller. “I- I guess so...”

Seonghwa smiles and gets back on his feet, still crouching down. “So what we gotta do... we need to be louder than the thunder, so we’ll be just as scary! Then the thunder and lightning won’t scare us anymore” Seonghwa wasn’t scared of the thunder at all, he just thought saying ‘us’ instead of ‘you’ would make the puppy hybrid feel like he wasn’t stupid for being scared. Seonghwa didn’t want him to feel stupid.

The little puppy looked at his hands for a moment before looking back at Seonghwa, stars in his big eyes. “You think it’ll work?” He says quietly. Seonghwa nods. “I think it will. But you need to yell really loud if we’re going to escape the storm. Got it?” The puppy ponders before pushing himself into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes. 

The boy has a bit of courage when he looks back at Seonghwa now. “Ok... ok I- I think I can do it.” The little pup looks so determined. Seonghwa can’t help but giggle just a bit at how serious he’s taking this. It’s cute.

Seonghwa props himself up and helps the little puppy up, holding his smooth hand. Now that they’re standing, Seonghwa can see the boy is a few inches shorter than him, probably younger by a few years too. His ears and hair look really really soft. He’s got soft features all around actually, soft nose, soft cheeks. It’s endearing.

Another crack of thunder and the puppy grabs onto Seonghwa’s middle with a yelp, trembling against him. It starts to rain, only small droplets, but Seonghwa knows it’ll get worse pretty fast until it’s a full on shower. The kitten practically peels the little puppy hybrid off of him and looks him in the eyes. 

“Hey, remember what I said. We need be louder than the thunder, right? We need to yell and run to the school. Think you can still do that?” The boy is instantly calmed by Seonghwa’s soothing voice, pressing his lips together and looking back at the school doors with courage. 

Seonghwa says. “On the count of three... three, two one!” And they’re off stampeding towards the doors, both screaming as loud as their little lungs possibly could, the rain coming down in their faces by now. 

They reach the door, and Seonghwa opens it quickly, meeting the cool air of the school hallway, shutting the door promptly behind them.

Both kids are out of breath from the run, slumping down on the hard tiled floor. Then the little puppy looks over at Seonghwa, and Seonghwa looks over at him, and their heavy breathing gradually turns to laughter the more they stare. Call him lonely but this was the most happy Seonghwa had felt in quite awhile, laughing hysterically with the little pup.

Said pup is wiping more leftover tears and rain from his face now as they come down from the adrenaline induced laughter. “Heh... that was.. that was so stupid” he giggles.

Seonghwa looks over at him, still giggling too “what do you mean? It got you to come inside.”

The little boy shakes his head. “Yeah I mean... not stupid but like....” 

Seonghwa tilts his head. “Like... ridiculous?”

The pup looks confused for a second before slightly nodding and wiping one last bit of moisture from his face. “Yeah... yeah it was ridiculous... we’re scarier than thunder now huh”

Seonghwa smiles, amused. “I guess we are. We’re like the thunder gods now.”

The little boy sighs, obviously exhausted from his previous panic. “Mm hm.” 

The kitten hybrid turns back facing the hall to look at the puppy from the front, observing him. The puppy laughs. “What are you doing?” 

Seonghwa flicks an ear in curiosity. “I haven’t seen you on the playground before... there aren’t a lot of puppy hybrids so I think I’d remember you”

The boy has a small blush on his face, looking to the ground. “I’m... no one remembers me. I kinda just sit. And cry. Cause I’m a crybaby. And no one ever pays attention, But I am new... my name is Yunho”

The kitten’s eyes brighten up. A new student! Maybe they could be friends. “I don’t think you’re a crybaby.... my name is Seonghwa. I’m an angora kitty and I’m nine. Are you younger than that? You look six or seven or something” 

“What? I’m not... I’m eight! That’s just a year younger than you.”

“Really?”

“I’m not lying...”

“But you’re so cute and little!”

“So are you! Look at those cute ears! You look little too!”

Seonghwa touched his ears. “They’re not that little... and I’m a lot bigger than you.”

Yunho smirked, his little cheeks looked so squishable. “Well just you wait! I’m gonna be reaaaally tall one day. My doctor says so. Then you can’t call me cute.”

Seonghwa shook his head. “No way.”

Yunho crossed his arms cutely. “Doctor says so.”

Seonghwa laughs. “You’re too cute! Look at your cute fluffy hair! That’s not going to go away is it.”

Yunho feels his hair like Seonghwa felt his ears, realizing there’s still bits of mulch stuck in it. “Oh man...” he tries to get all the dirty bits out but misses a few, parts of his golden locks still having clumps of dirt stuck in them. He looks like a mess.

Seonghwa reaches out and starts to help him extract all the tangled bits of the mulch. The kitten hybrid is very adept at cleaning, cat hybrids being particularly stingy when it comes to personal hygiene. Seonghwa thinks it’s just part of his personality. He likes to clean his room too. Yunho sits back and let’s Seonghwa untangle his hair. _It’s as soft as it looks..._ His ears are soft too, very cute and floppy. 

Seonghwa is about done getting all the bits out, moving his hair around to straighten them before instinctively going in to groom him with his tongue. Yunho tilts his head up wondering what exactly Seonghwa is doing and the kitten hybrid jerks back immediately.

“Oh I’m... sorry I forgot you’re not a kitten are you.” He laughs apologetically.

Yunho looks on at him innocently. “What were you gonna do? Is it like a special feline thing...”

“Uhm.. not really that special... it’s just that cats groom each other sometimes, but only when they’re close friends or family. I forgot you’re not a cat. But I shouldn’t have been doing it without asking even if you were a cat so I’m sorry.” 

Yunho doesn’t look miffed at all, glancing shyly at the ground. “Well maybe we can get closer then. And after that you can groom me.” He smiles widely after that, Seonghwa once again has the urge to smoosh his cheeks.

Seonghwa smiles too. “We’ll just have to wait...What class are you in?” 

“C... I’m in the grade after yours I think”

“I’m in class A” 

“Oh... I kinda wanted to sit next to you. The kids in my class are gonna call me a wimp after they saw me crying”

Seonghwa pouts a bit at that. Yunho seems so little and timid even if he swears he’ll get bigger. He’d probably have a rough time dealing with all the elitist kitten hybrids at their school. Seonghwa puffs his little chest out and raises his tail confidently “Well tell them you have a big strong friend who’ll teach them a lesson if they bully you!” He lets out a little growl.

Yunho breaks into laughter at the kitten’s little act of heroism. “They’ll bully you too if you talk too much to me... You probably have a bunch of friends right? Don’t you want to hang out with them?”

Seonghwa casts his eyes down, not sure how to respond to that. He says after a moment. “Well now I have you. And I’m sure you’ll need my help around the school. We should stick together from now on.”

Yunho looks almost relieved. Maybe he thought Seonghwa wouldn’t actually want to be his friend. He exclaims the loudest Seonghwa has heard him talk. “We’ll be the thunder gods together!” 

Just then the bell rings and all the kids come piling out of their classes, not stopping to stare at the little kitten and puppy still sitting down the hall. Seonghwa had forgotten they still had classes to go to. 

“Here” 

Yunho turns to the kitten hybrid with a wide smile still planted on his face. Seonghwa then slips his little red bow out of his own dark hair and adjusts it so it’s perched prettily in Yunho’s blonde locks. Yunho looks positively giddy.

“It’s so pretty on you though!”

“You can give it back tomorrow. It’s so you won’t forget to see me at recess! Besides I think it looks better on you.” 

There’s a call on the intercom for the kids to hurry to their classes. Seonghwa and Yunho look back at each other.

Yunho looks disappointed but begins walking down the hall. “I’ll... see you tomorrow?”

Seonghwa gives the puppy an affirmation. “See you tomorrow.” 

And with that, the two boys parted. One stumbling a bit clumsily down the hall to a door on the left giving the kitten hybrid one last wave, the other taking his time to stride to a door on the right, returning the puppy hybrid’s silly goodbye. 

Seonghwa pondered in class what him and Yunho were going to do tomorrow at recess. He didn’t even notice him and Yunho had been holding hands the entire time they were talking. 

________

They did see each other at recess the next day, and the next, and the next, and the next. Promptly spending their time exploring the playground and finding a new spot to sit and talk every day. The teachers began to report to Seonghwa’s parents about it a few weeks after when it was far too obvious the two were joined at the hip. 

Seonghwa knew the teachers told them on the night of the parent-teacher conferences. Because that night Seonghwa’s mamma sat him down in their living room and gave a a very long, very strenuous “family talk” about the “dangers of their society”. That danger being canines, according to her. Especially the wild ones. And Yunho wasn’t even a wild, he’s a domestic like them. She wasn’t angry, no yelling or outrage. Just calm and articulate as she always was. All while his eomma sat in silence listening on as quiet and composed as Seonghwa was. 

Seonghwa didn’t believe his mamma, but he wouldn’t tell her that. He knew it’d just cause more trouble. He loved her, but he didn’t believe anything she said about canine hybrids. Yunho was so little and sweet, so he had proof.

And he continued to meet Yunho every day at recess. Behind his teachers and his parents backs of course. And the little golden-haired boy would have no idea Seonghwa’s parents -well mostly his mamma- thought poorly of their friendship. 

Seonghwa knew Yunho would put the kitten hybrid before himself and stop meeting him if he thought their friendship was a strain on his family life. And Seonghwa wasn’t ready to give up his first real friend. 

And gradually- well not gradually actually more like after the first few days of long talks on the playground- Seonghwa learned Yunho wasn’t really shy at all. Maybe he was shy at first but at least around Seonghwa Yunho was very sweet, selfless and most importantly excitable. The pup’s eyes would widen and his tail would start wagging at every weird bug, every strange rock, they came across when exploring the playground. It’s made Seonghwa giggle every time.

They also learned they both had birthdays recently not far apart from each other. Yunho insisted they have a big birthday party together next year. 

Seonghwa came over to Yunho’s house for the first time about a month after they met. It was small and homey and smelt like cookies and lavender laundry detergent. Yunho’s parents were surprised but nonetheless supportive of Yunho bringing his new feline friend to sleep over, have movie nights, make pillow forts and play thunder gods of destruction together (they improved the name). 

Yunho was “the great lighting bolt” and Seonghwa was “captain storm cloud” and they would parade around Yunho’s basement in tinfoil masks late into the night til they passed out on top of each other. 

All in all, Yunho’s home was their prime location of choice to hang out as Seonghwa has calculated. No parents? Check. On the other side of town? Check. Yunho’s nice parents? Check.

Seonghwa loved it there. 

His parents consulted a therapist, who said it was a good thing their child had finally made a friend, that they should support him, that he’d distance from Yunho eventually and everything would be fine. They’d set Seonghwa up with a purebred angora tom and everything would be fine. Just fine.

Except Seonghwa and Yunho didn’t distance from each other at all. In fact quite the opposite.

Their teachers were reporting them to be “excruciatingly inseparable” as the next school year rolled in, not even a year after they met. 

________

Seonghwa had his head crunched up against the the leg of Yunho’s big red couch in his basement, the kitten hybrid’s legs spread across the cushions, also at an awkward angle. He’d move, it was a really uncomfortable position. If not for his best friend slumped across on top of him like a rag doll, fast asleep per the slight groan-like snore coming from his mouth. 

The pup was surprisingly heavy for someone so little. Seonghwa often wondered if he carried bricks in his pockets or something.

He looked so cute like this, Seonghwa didn’t have the heart to wake him, or the hand maneuvering ability to grab a camera and capture the moment. For safe keeping or silly blackmail who knows.

Turning his attention back to the screen there’s the credits of the latest Spider-Man movie scrolling up the tv with suspenseful heroic music playing in the background. It was always superhero movies and cuddle sessions during their movie nights. Seonghwa loved every second of it.

Yunho let out a long, sleepy yawn as the credits of the movie ended. He blearily switches off the tv before resting his head on his arms and looking at Seonghwa, who was still trapped under him.

“What happened at the end...”

“We’ve seen this movie three times in the past week.”

Yunho frowns. “Are you tired of it?”

Seonghwa unearths his arms from under the pup and stretches, feeling himself beginning to purr. “No of course not... but you remember what happened obviously.”

Yunho shook his head cutely. “Nope! I try to forget the ending when I watch it so it’s exciting every single time.” 

Seonghwa giggles and shifts a leg to get Yunho to flop off of him down onto the ground, sitting up. “You’re so heaavyyy. Seriously I thought you ate concrete cereal the first time you laid on me.”

The pup rests his chin on the couch, blowing a lock of hair out of his face in disgruntlement, even while wagging his tail. “You’re comfy though!” He gets up to lay back down, now in Seonghwa’s lap. “It’s like soft shaky pillow...” 

Seonghwa is purring steadily now that Yunho is in his lap, causing slight comforting vibrations on the pup’s skin. The kitten hybrid settles back down into the cushions, wrapping his arms around his little best friend. “If you weren’t so cute I’d throw you off.”

“Mmhmm... but I’m cute so please don’t.” Yunho nuzzles his cheek into Seonghwa’s shoulder, letting his eyes shut.

Seonghwa huffs. “A cute little scamp. You’re hair’s all weird looking now you know.”

“You did push me.”

“Well it’s all over the place. How does it get tangled so easily?”

“Eomma says it’s light as feather... like a little cloud.”

“It’s like a bird nest right now.”

Yunho still doesn’t open his eyes. “Can’t remember where eomma keeps the comb.”

Seonghwa’s mind flashes to earlier that morning... Yunho’s eomma had been gone, his appa told them it’d be about two more days, leaving Seonghwa and Yunho with a babysitter who must be around quite often because Yunho called her auntie. It’s the second time it’s happened since Seonghwa started staying over at Yunho’s.

“Why’s your eomma gone?”

Yunho’s voice is slightly muffled. “Dunno...”

Seonghwa’s voice grows worried. “What if she’s sick? Does she get sick every month?”

Yunho grumbles. “I don’t think so... I think she told me it was special omega stuff. Like omega secrets. She can’t tell me unless I’m an omega.”

“Does your appa know the secret?”

“I think... maybe. But he’s a beta. Maybe she can tell him ‘cause they’re married?”

Seonghwa briefly reflects on the thought. “What is all that anyway... that alpha beta omega thing.”

“I think it’s like your queen thing. Like queens and toms but you don’t know yours ‘til your older.”

“So it’s your placement.”

“Maybe. My parents say I don’t have to learn about it yet though... but I’ll get to be one of them someday.”

Seonghwa tilts his head. “Maybe you’ll be an omega and you’ll get to learn the omega secret.” 

Yunho opens his eyes again. “Maybe it’s a recipe! A super secret recipe for the greatest fried rice and the greatest cookies on the planet!”

“Then we’ll have to be chef superheroes...”

“Captain spatula reporting for duty!”

The two kids burst into giggles, Yunho throwing his head back and effectively messing his hair up more. 

Seonghwa holds Yunho’s head, moving him back into place on the kitten hybrid’s lap while Yunho still chuckles at his own joke. “You’re so squirmy! And your hair’s messed up even more now.”

“But Hyung... you love untangling my hair!”

Seonghwa’s already digging at the roots, running his hands through the front strands, taking some time to pet his floppy ears. The kitten hybrid impressively manages to untangle Yunho’s wild hair about two or three times a week, or however many times Yunho managed to get it messed up in the span of a day, because that happens sometimes. His hair is short and it doesn’t even look like it would tangle, but somehow it does and Seonghwa’s always talking about how the pup is lucky his best friend is is good at rooting through it.

It’s soothing to Yunho, letting Seonghwa fix his hair. It’s always taken him back to when they first met. Likewise Seonghwa loves watching Yunho drift off while he does it. It makes him remember the first time he met the seemingly timid pup with a severe fear of thunderstorms, trembling next to him. It’s so weird to think about, because Yunho is pretty bold and foreword now.

“H-hey.”

“Hm?” Yunho blinks, half awake.

“Would... you mind if I uhm... groomed you?”

Yunho is silent for awhile before responding. “If it’s just especially for felines then you don’t need to.”

“Do you want me to?”

Yunho closes his eyes again. “Yes.”

Seonghwa is quiet after that. But after a moment he leans in and carefully begins grooming Yunho’s hair with his small pink tongue, brushing through every soft blonde strand, making sure Yunho’s ears are clean too, all the while purring up a storm. Yunho is still and peaceful in his lap, halfway asleep already. 

And when Seonghwa is sure Yunho is completely conked out, the pup lets out a gentle murmur. “We’re close now...”

Seonghwa sighs, smiling sweetly to himself. “You’re my best friend, Yunho... of course we’re close”

“Hm... you’re my best friend too, Hyung.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you think anything needs tagging please don’t hesitate to tell me! 
> 
> the first few chapters are kind of an introduction to the main story, which takes place in college. so there’s a lot of time skipping. hope it’s not too confusing :)


	2. The Early Days Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> second chapter! hope you like it <3

As the year had come and gone, Yunho is constantly surprised how he continues to learn more and more about his feline friend every day they see each other. He isn’t sure how everything ended up so perfect, how on earth his panic attack on his first day in a new school led him to finding the best friend he could wish for. 

He liked to tell Seonghwa it must have been destiny. Seonghwa would tilt his head the way he always does and tell the pup he was so silly for saying that. Yunho didn’t care, he still called them destiny friends.

They would go to park and climb trees, have picnics in the shade, and then do dance battles in Yunho’s basement. Yunho and Seonghwa still loved superheroes of course, but their pastime for the last year had slowly turned into dancing.

The next year of classes came and Seonghwa and Yunho were both thrown into a new school environment. Yunho convinced his parents to let him go to the same school as the older boy. Seonghwa seemed overly relieved at that.

Yunho knew why. He knew full and well that Seonghwa’s parents didn’t approve of him. It made him sad to think about the fact, his tail drooped every time Seonghwa tried to come up with some new elaborate excuse as to why they couldn’t go over to the kitten’s house to play for once. When he first figured it out, the little pup had cried to himself over why someone he didn’t even know could dislike him enough that they wouldn’t let him in their house.

Yunho was young back then. Now he’s almost eleven and he knows full well why Seonghwa never wanted him to meet him. Their new school has taught him that very well even in the first few weeks.

Clique division by species and even more by blood status had been only a shadow looming over their old school. Here, it was the law that every hybrid under it’s roof obeyed and followed at every footstep. The teachers tried to promote inclusivity just like they did at Yunho and Seonghwa’s old school. What a bunch of crap that was.

The teachers didn’t pay attention to the bullying, just cared if you got good grades and stayed in line. Seonghwa was a straight A student while Yunho struggled in a few classes but got along fine. Seonghwa would always tell the pup that their schooling was useless, that he hated it. Yunho always wondered why he cared so much about his grades if he hated school. Why they even dealt with going there every day.

It didn’t help that Yunho was a runt either, or that him and Seonghwa were even now still attached at the hip. 

It started with the odd looks. That was on the first day. A tabby here, a wolf there. Wild or domestic, feline or canine it didn’t really matter what your background was, it seemed like most kids at the school treated Yunho as the odd one out. Yunho knew if they hadn’t seen him walking so close to Seonghwa, holding hands with his best friend no one would care about him.

Their friendship made him a walking target.

_“Isn’t that the guy who hangs out with cats?”_

_“He looks it... you think they’re into each other?”_

_“Definitely. He touched the cat’s tail the other day in public. Gross.”_

_“They should both get help.”_

That was in the beginning. Now the usual comments were always along the lines of. 

_“Got a kitty fetish little guy?”_

_“Weird runty puppy. No wonder no one likes him.”_

It made Yunho cry at first. A lot. He would hole himself up in the single-stall bathroom at the end of the hall and sob into his arms until Seonghwa came to get him out. He could hardly begin to understand why? Why did they hate him and Seonghwa’s friendship so much? Why didn’t they just stop and let them be? Why did they even think they liked each other in that way.... it was gross and weird and he didn’t like to think about it. 

He always told his parents the bullying wasn’t that bad. They believed him. With how sensitive the pup was, he was surprisingly good at convincing people around him he was fine.

Seonghwa talked to him about it soon after the worst insults began to plateau. They were at an ice cream parlor after school when the older hybrid brought it up. “Keep _this_.” Seonghwa put his hand on Yunho’s chest right where his heart is. “Safe. Don’t let anyone who doesn’t matter get to you right here.”

“They need to have a reason right? Why does everyone hate us so much?”

Seonghwa sighed sadly. “I’m not even that sure why... but we’ve got to learn to deal with it.”

“Yeah...” Yunho pokes at his cookies n cream with a spoon. Yunho thought to himself how exactly he would even do that, learn to let it slide over him. He’s always been so sensitive, Seonghwa knows this the best out of anyone. Putting up barriers around his heart was going to be difficult.

Seonghwa continued. “And please _please_ don’t stop being soft and sweet because of this, Yunho. That’s not what I’m trying to get you to do at all”

“I won’t.” Then what did Seonghwa want him to do if not die down his emotions?

Yunho looks back up at his friend, scooping a bit of his ice cream into his mouth. Seonghwa’s ears are so fluffy recently. He says he’s starting to grow out of his choppy kitten hair, while Yunho still wonders when he’s going to get his growth spurt. His doctor did say it would happen.

Yunho says to Seonghwa with confidence in his voice. “Well we just need to keep on being best friends then. If they want to bully us to be like them then we can show them we don’t care by doing the opposite!”

Seonghwa huffs a bit, grinning. Yunho’s always liked it when he smiles wide like this. “You think so?”

“Absolutely! We’re destiny friends, they can’t separate destiny friends can they?” 

“The bestest destiny friends there ever were...”

“We’ll be like the secret agents on two different teams who end up being friends when everyone else is fighting!” Yunho said, thinking of some action movie he couldn’t remember the name of. “Now I just gotta learn to stop crying...”

“You cry because you’re sensitive. I would never be ashamed of that. I wish I could cry. I think it’d feel a whole lot better than what I do.”

“You’re lucky you don’t cry, Hyung. It makes me feel like a complete and total wimp...”

“Better than bottling it up...” Seonghwa’s ears droop and he looks at the table absentmindedly.

Yunho leans down so he’s in Seonghwa’s line of vision, eyes wide and friendly. “Heyyy.”

Seonghwa blinks at him, he looks so sad.

“If you've got everything all bottled up, I could pop it open!”

Seonghwa breaks into a small laugh. “You’re so cute...”

“But I could! And I can teach you to cry if you really want to!”

“You’re the sweetest... but I don’t know if you can teach someone to cry.”

“Don’t know unless we try it!”

Seonghwa smiles wide at him again while Yunho wags his tail excitedly. 

The next few days consisted of Yunho and Seonghwa sitting across from each other on Yunho’s bed, trying to come up with the saddest scenario that could possibly happen. Seonghwa managed to get a single tear out. Yunho cheered him for his progress. 

Afterwards they would rewatch Spider-Man and then battle it out on Seonghwa’s new dance dance revolution game he always brought to Yunho’s house. Seonghwa got it on his twelfth birthday specifically so him and Yunho could play it together. 

Yunho got Seonghwa a brand new big pink bow, and the kitten hybrid started wearing around his neck. Yunho told him it made him look like royalty, like a prince.

Halfway through their third year at their new school Yunho’s parents signed him up for dance lessons. A week later, Seonghwa began attending them too. There was a dance club at their school but they didn’t think it was a good idea to join for obvious reasons.

Oh yeah, Seonghwa’s bullying.

That was a whole other case on its own.

Unlike with Yunho, the hybrids at their new school didn’t seem to bother Seonghwa as much in the beginning. The canines didn’t mess with him at all actually, just the felines, who were quite persistent in trying to get Seonghwa to be friends with some of them and enter the feline clique. 

The purebreds club at the school approached him almost every day in the first week. Seonghwa swears to Yunho he has no idea how everyone knew he was a purebred. Yunho tells him it’s because he’s so pretty. Seonghwa stuttered after that. “I- pure blood doesn’t make you more pretty...”

Yunho responded with. “Well people think that it does, that’s all that matters to them. So if you’re pretty then they’ll probably think you’re a purebred, and you’re really pretty, Hyung.”

Seonghwa stutters more after that. His cheeks are slightly pink, Yunho’s never seen them look that way before. “I- well I.... it’s...hm.”

Yunho shrugs to himself. He doesn’t know why Seonghwa was so awkward about it. It’s the truth, he is pretty... other people call him pretty all the time.

At first Seonghwa’s regular comments were things like.

_“He’s so handsome I wonder why he’s always around that weirdo.”_

_“We’d let you in our club if you stopped seeing that mutt.”_

Seonghwa would give them a cold glare and then be off with it. Yunho would ask Seonghwa if he was ok. Seonghwa would always say. “I’m fine, pup. No need to worry about me.” Seonghwa’s voice always reminded him of the soft reassurance of a parent.

After a few months Seonghwa stopped getting compliments from other felines. They stopped inviting him to join their clubs, and in turn began to throw him the same rude looks and gross comments they did to Yunho.

Arguably, Yunho always thought the comments Seonghwa got were worse than the ones Yunho received.

_“Ew I can smell the dog on him from here... no wonder he doesn’t have any cat friends.”_

_“Gross dog fetish freak...”_

And the offhand one. Not frequently said but definitely muttered in his direction.

_“What’s up knot-whore?”_

Seonghwa didn’t tell Yunho about that one, didn’t want to think about what it implied. No matter what though, the older boy would always assure Yunho he was fine.

Yunho didn’t believe a word of it.

Seonghwa began telling Yunho his eomma was sick and that was the reason why they couldn’t go over to his house.

Yunho knew Seonghwa wasn’t telling the truth. He just never knew why.

_______

It was the eve of Yunho’s twelfth birthday, on a weekend thankfully, and Seonghwa was sleeping over at his house, the two of them curled up in a little cuddle pile on top of a giant mass of pillows in the basement. The had tried to make an awesome extensive fort with string lights and snacks and drinks and everything but the entire structure ended up collapsing. Yunho immediately had said. “No problem.” And jumped onto the fluffy crushed fort, bringing the kitten hybrid down with him. They hadn’t moved for awhile now. 

“You want to play dance dance?” Seonghwa’s voice is muffled by the pillows. And Yunho’s leg.

“Mmm too tired...” Yunho has his arms wrapped around Seonghwa waist, the kitten and puppy hybrid like two peas in a pod. 

“You’re always so energetic, why tired now?” 

“I don’t know... I’m so tired lately... maybe I’m finally growing!”

Yunho had grown at the most about three centimeters since him and Seonghwa first met, meanwhile Seonghwa still beat him in height at an honestly sad amount. Yunho was starting to doubt he’d ever grow. Seonghwa asked jokingly if he had chihuahua in his hybrid blood. 

Yunho was pretty sure he was a just a golden retriever mix. Besides, the type you were had nothing to do with your height! “Hyung, we saw a great dane hybrid after ice cream who was like 5’2 the other day! And what about Ms Moon in Math, she’s practically the hulk and she’s a munchkin cat hybrid!” He had told his feline friend. 

Seonghwa had argued. “Nope, actually Ms Moon’s just a normal calico, the munchkin stuff was a rumor. And the great dane wasn’t that short.” And the banter went on.

In the present, Seonghwa purred at Yunho. “If you grow bigger than me that’ll actually be so sad for you...”

Yunho perked up. “What? Why?”

“Cause then you won’t get to sit in my lap anymore! I won’t get to carry you, I can’t give you piggyback rides. You basically lose all your forms of comfort and transportation.”

“Then I’ll just be a blob...” Yunho throws his head back and tries to look like a motionless blob, sticking his tongue out and groaning. He accidentally drools on Seonghwa’s thigh in the process. 

“Eww... gross. Ok I don’t want you to be blob anymore. I’ll carry you even if you’re 6’5.”

“You lick me all the time. You licked me this morning actually, why can’t I do it to you?”

“You’re tongue is all slimy, mine is built to detangle. When you lick me it’s just a drooly kiss.”

“You love my drooly kisses, Hyung.” Yunho sticks out his tongue playfully at Seonghwa.

Seonghwa flicks his pointy ears and sticks his tongue back out at him as they both start to laugh together. Even now that Yunho was twelve and Seonghwa was almost thirteen Yunho still felt like a little kid around the kitten hybrid. Most kids their age were already talking about dating and going even further, mating. Who even thought about having a mate at this time?Seonghwa had been confused when Yunho was saying to him that kids were talking about mating. Apparently it’s not a thing in feline customs.

“Want me to give you your birthday gift now?”

“What? Shouldn’t you do it tomorrow at the party?” Yunho and Seonghwa both didn’t really have big birthday parties. It was basically just the two of them, plus Yunho’s parents. Seonghwa always insists on having his own party at Yunho’s house, saying it makes planning easier since Yunho is his only friend. Yunho wonders if he even celebrates with his own parents at all. 

Seonghwa plays with the tip of his long fluffy tail. “That’s what people normally do right? But it feels like it’ll be even more special if it’s just us when I give it to you.”

“Like a secret birthday party?”

“An undercover birthday party.”

“Right now?”

“If you want.”

Yunho looks around at the walls of his basement. All the party streamers and the happy birthday sign were upstairs in their kitchen. The basement’s gray walls didn’t exactly scream “party time” in big colored letters, but he thinks it will do.

Seonghwa reaches over the pillow mound into his red backpack, digging through its various sleepover contents before pulling out a medium-sized blue box with a pink ribbon on the top, identical to the one Seonghwa wore around his neck all the time.

“Happy twelfth birthday, Yunho!”

Yunho pulls Seonghwa into a hug right then and there, the gift still in Seonghwa’s hands between them. “Thank you thank you thank you!”

Seonghwa laughs. “You don’t even know what it is yet.”

“Don’t care. If it’s from you then it’s gonna be great.”

“I’m feeling a bit of pressure now... if it sucks then it’s your fault for hyping it up.”

Yunho carefully pulls on the ribbon of the gift and lifts the top of the box. He remembers the first time Seonghwa gave him a birthday gift, it’s was Yunho’s ninth and he had gifted him the prettiest most perfect pastel box with little bows all on the top. Yunho also remembers the look of sheer horror on Seonghwa’s face when the puppy hybrid tore right through the box to get to the present. From then on he’s a lot more mindful when it comes to opening gifts from Seonghwa.

He can tell the older boy put a lot of care into wrapping them too, the tissue paper was folded up neatly inside over the gift and even had a little sticker to keep it from coming unfolded. 

Yunho uncovered the tissue paper to see there were two items in the box. A small plastic case that was evidently a video game, upon picking it up Yunho saw it was a fighter-style dancing game. Seonghwa knew him well. And it had multiplayer too. Seonghwa knew him even better. The other item in the box was a little fleece elephant plushie, complete with a red ribbon around its neck Seonghwa had definitely added himself.

Yunho looked up to see Seonghwa staring on in anticipation. “Do you like it? I got the elephant because you said you’ve always wanted to have lunch with one... and watch it eat with its trunk... or was it a hippo?”

Yunho jumps on Seonghwa in a suffocating hug, squeezing his best friend as tight as he could. “I love it them!” 

Seonghwa gasped. “You’re choking me.... but I’m glad you do... I picked them out at the mall.”

“I love them... you’re the best friend ever, Hyung.”

“You’re the best friend ever too, pup.”

The two of them lay like that for a few more minutes. Yunho inattentively begins to play with Seonghwa’s tail while the kitten hybrid purrs, the pup holding the soft fluffy tail up to his cheek. 

Yunho speaks after awhile. “I need to give you a secret birthday too...”

“We can have it right here, we can build a crazy giant fort next time.”

“Maybe your parents will celebrate with us this time!”

“They can’t.”

There’s silence for another moment, Yunho pondering his thoughts. He’s never asked Seonghwa that much about his parents, the kitten always cuts Yunho off before the conversation can continue.

In the four years that they’ve been friends, Yunho has only met Seonghwa’s parents three times and they were all on parent/teacher nights required by their school. The first time was a few months after they met. Seonghwa’s eomma was a small lady with a kind face and creases around her big curious eyes. She had fluffy black ears and a tail, and Yunho thought Seonghwa looked just like her. She had asked Seonghwa in a confused manner. “Now who’s this, Hwa?” She seemed surprised but overall happy her son had made a little friend. 

Seonghwa’s mamma was tall and slender and had fluffy white ears and hair, and a magnificent tail. When she was younger, she must have been the spitting image of the perfect purebred angora hybrid. Yunho looked her in the eyes once before she turned away. They’ve never spoken.

No, Seonghwa and Yunho never talk about his parents. Now might be the right time to finally try and bring it up. 

“But shouldn’t we invite your eomma and mamma?”

“Yunho I told you already my eomma is sick. She can’t be around other people and my mamma needs to take care of her. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Is she sick all the time? Why are you not sick from being around her?”

“Yunho just drop it. It’s not a big deal we can manage.” There’s a slight edge to his tone.

“But-“

“I said. Drop it.” Seonghwa’s voice is dark this time, Yunho’s only heard him speak this way towards the other hybrids at their school. There’s an awkward silence after that.

Yunho persists, voice as calm as he can manage. “Hyung I know that’s not the truth.”

“Yunho-“

“No, Hyung.” Yunho gets up so he can face Seonghwa. He looks him dead in the eyes, Seonghwa turns away and looks down at the floor. “I don’t want you to keep on lying to me... I’m not a pup anymore.”

Seonghwa looks angry now, eyebrows furrowed and ears flattened. “It’s not a lie so stop acting like it is. And you are still a pup! You’re so little why do you think you’re grown up now, that you know everything about my life?”

“Hyung there’s no reason to keep on pushing the same story. I know your parents don’t like me. I’m fine with that, I have been fine with that for years now. But you keep thinking you can convince me otherwise! Seonghwa were not little kids-“

“Stop saying that!”

“Why? You can’t keep things like that from me Seonghwa it’s not fair... I already know, why do you keep pushing back?” Yunho pleads at him, trying to be as sincere as possible, reaching to touch Seonghwa’s shoulder only for him to shove his hand away.

“Because...”

“Seonghwa what’s going on? You’re acting so strange...”

“Because I need it to be true!” Seonghwa yells at him this time.

The room is silent now, only the fast heartbeats of the two hybrids can be heard in the seclusion of the basement. Seonghwa has his back turned to Yunho. He can hear him crying. Seonghwa is crying. He could see the kitten hybrid’s shoulders shaking as he sobbed. Seonghwa has never fully cried in front of Yunho before, he’s not sure Seonghwa’s even cried like this ever. The pup is almost relieved.

After several long minutes had gone by, Yunho swallows once nervously and tries speaking to his best friend again, words slow and steady. “If you want to talk to me, you can. I’ll listen. I won’t judge you Seonghwa. Or your family. I just want you to know you can trust me...”

Seonghwa has calmed down a bit after the outburst, his crying reduced to sniffles by now, breathing still heightened. He turns a bit to glance at Yunho, eyes wide and watery. Then Seonghwa finally talks to him

“I guess I just...” Seonghwa pauses, thinking of the right words. “I wanted it to be true so bad. The idea that my parents were just sweet people who couldn’t see you because of a real reason.” Seonghwa hesitates. “Not because they hate canines.”

Yunho puts his hands on Seonghwa’s shoulders, rubbing his thumbs to soothe him. “Hyung we’ve dealt with worse. Who says you’re parents are going to come between our friendship, hm? We won’t let them.”

“It doesn’t work that way, Yunho... they...” Seonghwa looks up at Yunho with the saddest eyes he’s seen, all big and glassy. “They’ve been talking about sending me away to an all-feline school, a boarding school.”

Yunho looks back at him with an equally wide stare now, his mouth slightly open. “Do you think it’ll happen?” 

“I’m- I’m not sure...“ The cat hybrid sniffles away another tear.

Seonghwa takes a long, shuddering breath, voice still choked up from crying. “They- they give me these family talks every week about how canines oppress felines on a daily basis... they showed me news clips and articles... I know it’s all fake but... it’s gotten worse each year. They’re trying to tell me that you’ll... hurt me in the future, that you’ll take advantage of me... how could they even believe stuff like that? And they’ve started talking to me about...” Seonghwa breaks off into a sob.

Yunho rubs the kitten hybrid’s shoulder to calm him. “Go on its ok.”

Seonghwa nods and continues. “They want to- they want to arrange a marriage for me. Like force me to marry a purebred angora. They’ve had two toms my age come over in the last month. And I don’t know how to say no to them. I can’t say no to them because I’m afraid that...”

Yunho finishes the sentence for him. “That they’ll disown you.”

Seonghwa curls in on himself and the tears begin falling again. Yunho begins to tear up too, wrapping himself around Seonghwa the way the kitten always did to him when he was upset, their roles being switched for the first time since they met. He could feel the older boy’s little heartbeat near his chest. Yunho felt honored Seonghwa trusted him enough to tell him all that.

“If they’re your family they will come around. They’ll understand. They love you, Hyung.”

“They don’t love me.” Seonghwa practically spat out.

Yunho pauses, not knowing how to respond.

Seonghwa continues. “My mamma... she doesn’t. I think my eomma does. She’s so....” Seonghwa stops for a second. 

“She sings to me every night. She has since I was little, and she helped me pick out that elephant for you too! I really do love her so much.... But she never stands up for herself or for me! She just sits and agrees with everything my mamma says about canines. About you... and my mamma definitely doesn’t love me.”

“Hyung...”

“Yunho...”

“If you want, you can stay with us. The door is always open for you.”

“I... I don’t think I can. It would break my eomma’s heart. And even if I did that wouldn’t stop the school from judging us. It wouldn’t stop the looks we get, it wouldn’t stop them from calling me a knot-whore.” Seonghwa is choking up again. He looks so so small right now in Yunho’s arms.

“Hyung...”

“We can’t win, Yunho. We can’t do anything in this world... so is it just hopeless?”

That was the saddest and most concerning thing Yunho had ever heard his best friend say. Yunho leaned back a bit so he could look at the black kitten. They laid there for longer than they should have, looking into each other’s eyes. One pair wide with hope and longing, the other defeated and glazed over. 

Even when Seonghwa’s distraught and hopeless, Yunho thinks he still looks so pretty. His ears were really getting a lot fluffier. His face was becoming more slender too as he lost his baby fat. It made Yunho wonder why the kitten bothered being friends with Yunho when he could be dating a handsome tom and instantly become the talk of the school. 

“Why are you smiling?”

Yunho is brought out of his trance then, blinking and realizing Seonghwa was speaking to him. “You’re uh... you’re.” Why does he feel so nervous?

“You’re beautiful.” Yunho said to his best friend.

There was a pause.

And then Seonghwa chokes out a laugh, reaching up to cover his face as the laughing gets louder.

Yunho is confused. Does Seonghwa think he’s weird? Did he do something wrong? “What? It’s true! You used to get so weird when I said that why is it funny now?”

Seonghwa is shaking with laughter at this point, probably out of stress.

“Don’t tell me you’re going insane...”

Seonghwa stalls his laughing fit for a second and wipes his eyes, a few more tears running down his cheeks. “No... silly!”

Yunho exclaims, laughing a bit himself. “Then what is it then?”

“I say something a depressing as that and then you say I’m pretty to try and cheer me up?”

“I mean... did it work?”

Seonghwa giggles a bit more. “Yeah... it did. But only because I’m a loser like you.”

Yunho is laughing now too. “Well if we’re both losers then I guess we need to stick together. Loser squad, right?”

Seonghwa wipes one last tear from his cheeks, his pointy ears perking back up. “I want to be stuck with you forever, loser.” He buries his face in Yunho’s neck and begins to purr loudly. He’s at least content again.

“And Hyung?”

“Yes Yunho?”

Yunho thinks his words over before saying. “I don’t care.” He continues. “I don’t care if the world hates us. I don’t care if your parents hate us. I don’t care at all.” He holds the back of Seonghwa’s head close. He can feel the kitten’s tail curl around Yunho’s leg.

Yunho goes on. “Like I said when we first started going to the school. If they want us to lose then we just have to keep on surviving... even if we can’t win. I’ll take being your best friend over society’s opinion any day.”

Seonghwa purrs in as a response, snuggling into a comfy position next to Yunho, half asleep. “We need to keep surviving.”

Yunho smiles to himself. “We _will_ keep surviving.” 

________

Seonghwa and Yunho breezed through the next year pretty easy. Sure there was still a snide comment here and there, a lot of ugly looks but the bullying had gone down tremendously since they first arrived. Seonghwa figured the other kids had gotten bored of the countless efforts to get to them and must have moved on to a new target.

The two continued to take regular experimental dancing lessons at a small studio in the city. Seonghwa loved dancing, loved the way it made him feel, how it distracted him from everything else in the world. It made him feel beautiful. He especially loved contemporary dancing. For his final exams he incorporated ribbons into his performance. He was praised by their teacher.

But if Seonghwa loved dancing, Yunho must be enamored with it. He knew how to move his body in ways Seonghwa didn’t even understand, excelling in every genre they were taught. He became the one of the studio’s prodigies the first few months he was learning. Seonghwa loved to watch Yunho dance. He looked completely in his element. Yunho loved contemporary like Seonghwa did, but also loved street dance and breakdancing. 

“You should join the school dance club!” Seonghwa told Yunho. 

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you’re amazing. You heard our teacher- you could compete!”

“Only if you came with me.”

Seonghwa shook his head. “Yunho I’m not you. I love dancing... but you’ve got something special. You can use that talent. They’d probably not bully you anymore!”

“It’s not worth it then.”

“Why not?”

“Hyung, if you’re not there then it’s not worth it. I don’t need them to stop bullying me. All I need is my best friend by my side.”

Seonghwa didn’t try to argue anymore with his canine best friend. Yunho promised Seonghwa he’d join a dance club when they entered high school. Seonghwa remembered he might not be with him during high school. He still told Yunho he’d go with him. He also told Yunho he wanted to start singing. The pup of course wagged his tail and said Seonghwa would be the greatest at it.

_______

That year the two best friends also got their first taste of the new special classes. That had been anticipated by everyone in the school for awhile now. PGE (Placement and Gender Education) wasn’t all it was hyped up to be. A lot of the hybrids in their classes exaggerated, making it seem like living hell to have to sit and listen to a middle aged lady harp on about fucking while beating around the bush at the same time. 

Seonghwa and Yunho were separated into canines and felines, and even further in Seonghwa’s case into queens and toms. Seonghwa told Yunho he thought it was weird. If this was supposed to be education then why were they separating everyone? If toms didn’t learn about queens and vice versa what was even the point.

Seonghwa already knew most of what the teacher was saying via simple searches on the internet and “the talk” with his parents when he was much younger. All about anatomy and how to deal with pregnancy and always wear a condom and chest swelling? What the hell was that? It was monotonous, but more boring than it was “living hell”. 

Halfway through the class some idiot bobcat hybrid queen asked the teacher if canine and feline hybrids could have babies together. The teacher uncomfortably said they weren’t sure. The same idiot gave Seonghwa a knowing smirk to which Seonghwa flipped them off. 

The class was done and over with in less than an hour.

Meanwhile in the canine classes, Yunho was squished into a seat in the middle of two very tall very buff wolf hybrids both with pointy ears rising out of their hair. Yunho thinks one of them stuck gum on his back but he couldn’t be sure until after class was over. 

The room was packed full of one fourth of all the canines in the school so Yunho didn’t know why he was expecting a slightly better experience. The teacher walked in and did the usual canine savior-complex speech on acceptance and how no one was judging anyone here. Yunho looked at the jocks next to him and thought otherwise. 

The next two hours was a very detailed lesson on how important alpha beta omega status was to canine culture, what to do when you finally present, how to deal with ruts and heats etc etc. Yunho took it all in with a wide eyed but mostly blank look on his face, not wanting to draw any attention to himself. But on the inside, Yunho was a swirling sinkhole of anxiety and dread. He knew already that ages 14-18 he would present and be either an alpha, beta, or omega. Every pup was taught that from a young age. But he’d never been told in excruciating detail about how painful heats and ruts are, especially without a partner, developing scents, dealing with “urges” and it made the boy cringe back in fear.

By the time their third PGE class was let out Yunho was numbed, but still feeling sick to his stomach. He heard a few derogatory comments made towards omegas when walking in the halls, didn’t miss that. With Yunho’s luck he would probably end up presenting as an omega and bring on another wave of shit directed his way. 

He began to navigate through the crowd, trying to find his feline best friend.

The moment Yunho found Seonghwa at the end of a stairwell, the cat hybrid jumped to his feet and grabbed the golden-haired pup’s sleeve, marching back down the hall with the confused pup in tow. 

Yunho tried to get a word in. “Uhh where are we going?”

Seonghwa only looked back at him and smiled knowingly. Not helpful. But Yunho just walked obediently with the kitten hybrid until they rounded a corner, clicking open the door to the single stall at the very end of the hall. Normally Yunho was the one dragging Seonghwa off to tell him about a new movie or a new dance he came up with. The black kitten was always full of surprises.

Once they were inside, Yunho brushed off his sleeve jokingly. “Are you gonna tell me what’s up now cause I just went through-“

Seonghwa curls Yunho’s sentence off by lunging foreword and pulling the canine into a tight hug, purring uncontrollably. Yunho wrapped his arms around Seonghwa as well, settling into the warm embrace. Yunho always called Seonghwa a “walking massage chair” because of his purring.

Seonghwa pulls back and looks Yunho up and down with stars in his eyes. “Can’t do that in front of the whole school.”

Yunho giggled. “Was all that just so you could hug me? I mean I’m not complaining...”

Seonghwa looks more excited than Yunho has seen him in quite a while. He says with joy in his voice. “I’m not going to an all-feline high school.”

Yunho’s amused expression quickly turns to one of excitement. He holds Seonghwa’s hands in his own and lets out a little whoop for effect. “That’s amazing! We don’t have to be separated... but how on earth did you convince your mamma?”

“Don’t you want to know what school I’m going to?”

“Yes! What is it?”

Seonghwa pauses before saying. “I’m going to an art academy.”

Yunho doesn’t say anything at first, there’s just a big smile plastered on his face. He scoops Seonghwa up on the spot and manages to twirl the cat around, tail wagging steadily while Seonghwa holds on for dear life, eyes wide with surprise. The two of them start laughing.

Yunho lets Seonghwa down and the kitten hybrid continues. “My eomma... I told her about wanting to learn to sing like she did. She was so supportive, I think it’s the most excited I’ve seen her. She talked to my mamma about it and convinced her! She never used to do that before!”

Yunho grabs Seonghwa and embraces him once more, saying softly. “We get to go to school together...”

“We get to go to school together, pup.”

“I’m gonna beat your ass in PE this time around.”

“With how you just picked me up? I don’t doubt it... how did you get so strong anyway?”

“Beats me... probably from dancing- wait!”

“What?”

Yunho is practically jumping with excitement again. “Hyung! When I go to the art school I’ll get to study dancing.”

“That was kind of the point, you dummy.”

“Yeah but like... _dancing_. I’ll be an actual dancer!” 

“You are an actual dancer.” Seonghwa shoves Yunho playfully. This wasn’t the first time the kitten hybrid had told him that. Years of being a runt made him a bit tougher, but it also taught him humility.

At that, the puppy hybrid couldn’t help but shed a lone tear, quickly wiping the moisture away with the back of his hand. Seonghwa noticed already though, and took Yunho’s head in his hands, increasing his purring while rocking back and forth hugging the pup. “Oh... come here pup...” Yunho stood in Seonghwa’s arms comfortably. He always had.

“That’s one of the things about you that I don’t want to ever change... you’re so sensitive.”

“I’m a crybaby.” Yunho says with his face in Seonghwa’s shoulder.

“You’re my best friend, crybaby. Here.”

Yunho could feel Seonghwa beginning to groom his ears. Yunho would ideally want to lie down in a pile of pillows, bask in the moment with his best friend. Relish in the fact that they’re going to a new school, an art school, for a moment, or an hour. But he’s brought back to reality when he opens his eyes and remembers that they’re in a grody single-stall toilet at the end of the hallway of their gross school. Right.

Yunho moves his head away from the kitten hybrid’s shoulder, and when he looks back at Seonghwa the boy still has his little pink tongue sticking out of his mouth from when he was grooming him. 

After popping his tongue back in his mouth Seonghwa blinks curiously before saying. “You’ve grown.”

“What? Wait really?”

Sure enough with a glance into the mirror, Yunho can clearly see that he has indeed grown. A sizable amount actually, as Seonghwa appears to only have an inch or two on him now, where he used to come up to the older boy’s lips at his shortest.

Yunho looks smugly back at Seonghwa, tail wagging. “Ha! Look who doubted me all those times I said I’d get tall. Who’s the one laughing now?” Yunho exclaims, pointing back at Seonghwa dramatically.

“You’re not tall yet... I’m not even that tall and you’re still shorter than me.” Seonghwa crosses his arms.

“This is a great day for all the runts around the world... I am living proof that yes, even the runtiest can rise above!”

“Ok now you’re just being crazy. Even if you grow to be 6’6 and have bulging muscles you’re still a cute little pup. Always will be.” Seonghwa pats him lovingly on the head, to which Yunho instinctively closes his eyes and smiles in bliss, until Seonghwa starts snickering in amusement, knowing full well it would distract the puppy hybrid.

“Hey, not cool. You will not trick me into being your lapdog!” Yunho pulls back putting a hand on his head for protection.

“It’s just payback for you smothering me. Which will only get worse now that you’re a bit bigger.”

“Hmm... maybe I could smother you now?”

Seonghwa’s eyes suddenly turn alert and he begins to back up against the door. “No... Nonono Yunho! There’s a bunch of kids out there right now!” 

Yunho ends up chasing Seonghwa all the way through the halls of their school, not caring one bit what any of the students thought of them. They would never have to come back to this place in a few weeks anyways, might as well go out with a bang.

The two ended up in detention, unsurprisingly. Cleaning out the brass band, unsurprisingly.

But the moment the teacher was out of the room, Yunho glomped onto Seonghwa in a second.  
“And here’s my payment.”

“Bullshit! We never even finished that race!” Seonghwa exclaims.

“I was winning by a landslide. Don’t be a sore loser, Hyung.”

Yunho wrapped himself around Seonghwa like a body pillow and hummed happily while Seonghwa began to purr again. Yunho let out a breath. “Massage chair time...”

Seonghwa rolls his eyes, obviously endeared by the pup while he continues to wipe down a trumpet above Yunho’s serenely dozing body.“I have no idea how I’ve put up with you all these years. Also you’ve got gum on your back, _winner_.” 

“Gonna have to put up with me for another four years, now. Also I know, _loser_.”

It’s silent for a moment, Yunho grumbling drearily as Seonghwa continues to spray and wipe over and over again, the squeaky sounds managing to keep Yunho half awake. 

“It’ll be more than that.”

“What?” Yunho’s eyes open

Seonghwa grabs another trumpet, chuckling. “Didn’t I tell you the academy goes into upper schooling?”

“Excuse me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you think anything needs tagging please let me know  
> the next chapter will introduce a new character! so look forward to that


	3. Horizon Academy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> third chapter! hope everyone likes it <3
> 
> and thank you for all the kudos and feedback for the last two chapters  
> i’m going to try to update regularly, don’t know how long that’ll last haha

Horizon: School of the Arts was considered an innovative and new-wave academy, capable of providing education for “the brightest and the best”. At least that was what it said in the brochure. Seonghwa swiped one from an open-house tour, which he then gave to Yunho, who then showed it off with enthusiasm to his parents, begging them to let him go. Not really that much of a fight to put up, Yunho’s parents were already keen on letting him pursue dancing as a career (his appa made a joke about how he was “quite the shuffler back in the day” too) but the pup still couldn’t believe it, effectively inviting over Seonghwa for a celebratory dinner. 

Seonghwa arrived at Yunho’s house with a two-layer cake in tow the cat hybrid had made himself, complete with sprinkle confetti and “congratulations” written in buttercream. They ended up eating the entire cake in one night. 

That night Seonghwa and Yunho cut Seonghwa’s neck bow into two little ribbons, which they then tied around each other’s wrists. Simple but meaningful.

On the eve of their first day, Seonghwa talks with Yunho over the phone, curled up in bed, trying to keep his tone down so as not to wake his parents.

“I think we’ll get along this time.” Yunho’s voice is hopeful and warm as always. “It’s not like we can keep on getting shit thrown our way, karma’s bound to catch up eventually!”

Seonghwa smiles to himself. “You’re so optimistic...”

“And why aren’t you?”

The cat hybrid stares blankly at his ceiling. Why was it so hard to be cheerful these days? He didn’t particularly feel like a big spoonful of harassment and misery was coming their way necessarily, nor did he have any reason to feel pessimistic about the new year. Yunho was right, if anything they deserved a break from all the pointing and whispers. And yet, Seonghwa still felt the familiar shadow of dread permeating the air around him. Must be hormones.

“I feel like at this point we might as well have a big “kick me” sign pinned to our backs. Why should this time around be any different from the others, you know?”

“Because we always pull through, Hyung. We’re fighters. And we’ll come out of high school the strongest we’ve ever been.”

Yunho made it sound so easy to look on the bright side of things, Seonghwa tries to reflect his cheerful demeanor the best he can going into the new school year, not sure if it will work or not.

Being a school of the arts, on the introductory first day all hybrids attending the academy were neatly divided into separate groups according to their major. That meant that the moment Yunho and Seonghwa cross the vast campus and enter the big, shiny doors of their new school building they were immediately pulled in opposite directions by the crowd.

In both their groups it was the usual, Seonghwa was in the music program so he was given a small writing and vocal assignment to work on as a warmup while Yunho was in the dance program doing team-building exercises with his classmates. Is was a far better start than their previous school had provided. 

Except for the fact they didn’t even see each other until after classes were over.

Seonghwa looked frantically for Yunho during lunch break but to no avail, the skinny pup was pretty easy to lose in crowds as it is, and the lunch hall was packed full. Plenty of blonde heads to go around, none of them belonging to his best friend. The cat hybrid adjusted the pink bow around his wrist nervously. He would have to make do without him.

But because they weren’t seen together, both the dog and cat hybrids experienced a harassment-free hallway and classroom life. No weird friendships on display meant no bullshittery in return.

As a result, Seonghwa lands a date on his first day of school.

The cat hybrid isn’t even sure how it happened. All he remembers is walking out of his main vocal lessons into the hall and managing to trip himself on the side of one of the lockers, successfully catching himself, not successfully catching his books, and coming face to face with a guy who he’d never seen in his life. 

Seonghwa continued to just stand there nodding like an idiot to him, wanting desperately to get out of the conversation. One thing led to another and now he has a movie date with a preppy looking Egyptian Mau hybrid tom who looks like his parents own a golf resort or a hotel chain or something.

The school is walking distance from both Yunho’s house and the ice cream parlor, conveniently.

Seonghwa mentioned the incident to Yunho later on when they were talking about how their days went over a sundae. Apparently Yunho’s teacher is the dance instructor from hell and his classmates call him “wonderboy” now. Yunho broke out in laughter the moment he told him, getting so hysterical he began to tear up from the hilarity of it all, in the middle of the ice cream parlor no less.

“I thought you’d be more concerned about this...”

“Why would I be concerned?” Yunho wipes a tear from his cheek, laughter dying down a bit.

“Because I have to go on my first date with a tom I barely even know, someone I didn’t even want to go on a date with but my stupid brain wouldn’t work and all I could think about was wanting to leave-“

“Hyung, this sounds like a drama synopsis literally. The plain, unassuming young queen trips in the halls, only to be saved by a tall, handsome tom, heir to biggest casino chain in the country. Oh but little does the innocent queen know that under that dashing smile, there lies a dark, brooding family secret that-“

“Ok _stop_ I get it, my life is turning into a cliche. Expect it’s not going to be a cliche since I’m going to tell the guy when I get there, that I never wanted to date him in the first place.”  
Seonghwa tilts his head. “And did you just call me plain and unassuming?”

“The point is that it’s funny, Hyung. Everyone we meet is so used to the stony-faced “nothing phases me” Park Seonghwa and now you tell me you couldn’t say no to a date.”

Seonghwa crosses his arms in indignation, pouting and pretending to be upset. 

Yunho lightens his teasing a bit. “It’s just kinda cute, Hyung. I’m not judging but... You’ve gotta admit...”

Seonghwa looks caught off guard at that, quickly looking away from his best friend’s face and at the corner of their table. Ever since middle school, when the pup gave him soft compliments like that it struck some sort of nerve deep inside of him and he couldn’t figure out what it was. Must be hormones.

Yunho continues. “Just give the guy a chance, he might be a nice person! Buuutt it still sounds exactly like the 8pm special my eomma had on last night.”

“No, it sounds like a something that would happen to _you_. I can’t wait to see your face the first time someone asks you on a date, then you’ll understand why I was so freaked out.”

“Relax, Hyung. No ones gonna want to ask out a runt like me. Guess you’ll be stuck with this pup for the rest of your sorry life.” Yunho is humorous when he says it, but Seonghwa can’t help but want to comfort him. Yunho may be a runt, but that didn’t take away from the fact that the dog hybrid was the kindest and most selfless person Seonghwa had met. He would make a wonderful boyfriend to anyone who was lucky enough to end up with him.

Seonghwa bites his lip and fidgets with his fingers throughout the entire movie date.

On the way out, the guy (who’s name is Minho, Seonghwa learns) goes in for a kiss, unconsented on Seonghwa’s part, before pulling back, his nose scrunched up a bit with a confused look on his face. Apparently Seonghwa smells like dog, according to the guy, and that must have been the do-all end-all because a minute later Seonghwa was standing alone next to the deserted concessions booth, trying to figure out how he’ll get home.

His mamma picks him up. On the ride back to his house she gives him a whole lecture on how he ruined his first chance at having a “real” friend, even better a date who fit his mamma’s idea of a suitable tom. Seonghwa just hums and says he’ll be better next time in return. He’s beginning to understand why his eomma always avoided arguments with her.

_______

The next few weeks consist of the school’s purebreds club trying to get Seonghwa to join and Seonghwa turning them down every time. Along with that Yunho decides out of the blue to try and join the wrestling team at school, so he can “get some meat on his bones” he says. Seonghwa giggles in amusement at the thought of Yunho in one of those wrestling outfits but encourages his friend anyways. 

Yunho made the team, apparently he’s got “strange but resourceful brute strength” as his instructor chides.

A month of Seonghwa and Yunho being publicly attached at the hip and the muttering starts up again. 

It’s nowhere near as bad as it was in middle school, heck Seonghwa probably wouldn’t even notice if his hearing wasn’t so good. Yunho swore he didn’t hear a word on their friendship from anyone, concluding that this year would be a peaceful, stress-free one. Seonghwa knew better than that.

It was whenever new faces attempted to talk to him that he heard the most. People didn’t stare in the halls or even worse, glare at him and Yunho, but he began to notice that every time another feline hybrid tried to approach Seonghwa, one of their friends would always stop them and hurry the clueless kid away, whispering something like. 

_“You don’t want to hang out with him.. I heard he smells like dog.”_

_“Like I get the whole inclusivity thing but I really don’t want to end up with his canine fever.”_

_“He’s got this weird puppy friend, I think that’s all I have to say.”_

And then the kid would cringe up and pretend like Seonghwa hadn’t just witnessed the entire scene. Yep, everything was just peachy. 

There were other canine/feline mixed friend groups among their classmates, Seonghwa and Yunho had both seen them. Yunho would always get excited and tell Seonghwa. “See? We’re gonna be just fine, there’s plenty of other kids like us!”

People gossiped about those kids too, but Seonghwa didn’t want to spoil Yunho’s newfound feelings of acceptance he got from this place.

A particularly antagonizing canine group with sharp tongues in Yunho and Seonghwa’s PE class would take care of the discouragement part.

It just started out as another playful joke between the guy’s canine friends, the joke being centered around Seonghwa and Yunho. The cat hybrid was used to hearing that, no big deal, he could shrug it off easily. He was actually surprised that it was a canine, Seonghwa didn’t get as much crap from the canine side of school. They had always just shunned the pair, only a few comments every once and awhile. Yunho as usual doesn’t notice at all, just shoves his shirt into a locker and asks Seonghwa if they could watch the squirrels in the park on the way home from school. 

What happened next Seonghwa couldn’t have seen coming from a mile.

The group sauntered over and circled their way around Yunho, successfully closing Seonghwa out of the conversation, and begin battering poor Yunho with ill-intended questions.

“Words been spreading, and we recently heard you’ve got a kitty friend, runt.”

“So I read queens give crazy blowjobs...”

“You think you could share him?”

And so on and so forth. Seonghwa is frozen 

The cat hybrid remembers all the articles his mamma made him read on how canine hybrids will force “weird fetishes” onto feline hybrids, in particular queens, that they see them as weak and easy to take advantage of. He never once thought any article she shoved in his face was actually true. He’s utterly disgusted.

Yunho’s eyes were as wide as saucepans, his tail was between his legs and he was nervously flitting his gaze between the three guys, who were all very much well established jocks, and twice the golden-haired boy’s size.

“Cmon runty, we don’t have all day.”

“Just hand him over and we’ll be out of your business.”

Yunho stutters over his words, petrified. “I- I um I can’t...”

Before Seonghwa can swoop in and grab his friend, the dark haired boy hears the sharp sound of a punch ringing through the locker room, and then there’s one of the guys, a lanky shirtless wolf hybrid, on the ground holding his face in pain. Seonghwa’s eyes move back to the scene of the crime and there’s Yunho, one fist still out in the air where it made contact with the guy’s face. The dog hybrid looks so scared he’s probably not even sure of what he just did.

There’s a pause in the air and all the kids in the room have their eyes on Yunho, the pup still looking petrified as to what he’d just done.

One of the other members of the group breaks the silence, and they’re on Yunho in an instant, lunging at the skinny boy and pinning him down to the floor of the locker room, muttering things to the pup that Seonghwa can’t hear, but that he’s sure are vile. There’s a flash of rage that shoots through Seonghwa’s head. And then he’s running.

Seonghwa jumps onto the one nearest to him, trying everything he could to hit and punch at the brute but to no avail, the guy shrugs Seonghwa off like he’s nothing, another one pulling Seonghwa back while the other one began to kick and hit Yunho while he was pinned down.

There’s a crowd of kids gathering around the commotion now, Seonghwa will always wonder how people can just stand there and watch while things like this happen.

Yunho’s curled himself into a tight ball on the ground to ward off the brutes. Seonghwa cries out. “No! No get the fuck off of him!” Over and over.

And then there’s suddenly another face from the crowd jumping into the brawl. Seonghwa almost feels relieved until he sees the stature of the guy. He’s shorter than both Yunho and Seonghwa. Great, just wonderful. 

“Out of the ring, curly. This isn’t your fight.” The main brute was probably referring to the dog hybrid’s fluffy tail, which indeed looped into a very cute curl, and he’s got a pair of fluffy floppy ears like Yunho’s to match.

“Uh well... it’s isn’t your fight either! It’s not enough that you and your idiots ask for nudes from every canine hybrid in school now you’re going after felines too?” The dog hybrid sounds unsure of himself, but crosses his arms indignantly, and if Seonghwa wasn’t being held back by his limbs right now he would do a comedic face slap for sure. This was only going to make them angrier.

“I’m beginning to think you guys are getting desperate....” the dog hybrid puts on a very nonchalant attitude. Seonghwa knows it isn’t genuine. 

One of the brutes walks right up to the small boy and glowers over him, obviously intending to fight the kid. The kid’s curly tail droops and his eyes grow wide with panic. “Uhm uhh... Distraction!”

He pulls a sandwich, (probably from the cafeteria) out of his pocket and flings it at the guy’s face, and then the fight continues. The smaller boy leaps onto the taller guy while he was still disoriented by the sandwich and starts... biting his shoulder? Seonghwa laughs nervously at that. Who the fuck is this kid?

The other guy in the group seems so weirded out by the whole scene that just went down that Yunho has a chance to take action. He slips by the one that was pinning him down and begins to batter the one the small guy is fighting while Seonghwa watches helplessly from the sidelines. 

And all of a sudden, Yunho does a full on flip-pin on the guy in the middle of the fight, effectively hitting his back against the hard floor in a way that wouldn’t severely harm him but definitely put him out of commission for at least a minute. Guess joining the wrestling team paid off. The whole crowd watching gasps and several kids are pulling out their phones. Shit. They need to get out of here, fast.

Yunho putting one of the guys out of the fight forced the one holding back Seonghwa to rush in in defense. Him and Yunho lock eyes and everything seems to go in slow motion as the cat hybrid gestures frantically towards the door of the locker room and Yunho nods calmly, getting in one last hit at the guy’s ribs before taking Seonghwa’s hand in his and scampering towards the door. 

The small kid seems to get the idea too, and hops off of one of the brutes, calling back in a high pitched voice. “I’ll be back, boys!” And giving them a flying kiss as he joined Seonghwa and Yunho. 

The trio burst through the doors of the locker room and out into the empty halls, most classes already done for the day. Seonghwa is looking hurriedly in every direction for a place to hide in case the brutes decided to follow them, when the strange small kid speaks up.

“Follow me!” He says before taking off behind the corner.

Yunho doesn’t give Seonghwa any time to decide for himself, and within a minute the three hybrids are gasping in an empty classroom among folded chairs and cloth-covered desks, exhausted from the fight. 

The first thing Seonghwa does after successfully calming himself down is come up to where Yunho is sitting on one of the desks and cradle the pup’s face in his hands, running his fingers over a blooming bruise on his best friend’s cheek. 

“Oh pup... what the hell did you do, Yunho...”

Yunho coughs just a bit, grinning at Seonghwa. “I’m not even sure myself, Hyung.”

“You’re such an idiot! Those guys were twice your size, just because you’re wrestling now doesn’t mean you should fight...” 

“I- I don’t think I meant to...”

“What?”

“It was like... its was like my fist moved on its own. I know that doesn’t make any sense but-“

Yunho is cut short by Seonghwa embracing him, wrapping his arms around him, the dog hybrid instantly going limp in his friends’ hold, his tail thumping up against the desk in a steady wag. Seonghwa purrs comfortingly and wraps his tail around Yunho’s leg, cuddling up closer to him.

“It’s bad enough that you threw the first punch, if that guy hadn’t come in and-“ Both best friends pause at that. Seonghwa had honestly forgotten the guy was still in the room, and Yunho going stiff under him indicated that the pup also hadn’t realized the presence of the strange kid who had heroically (and ridiculously) jumped in to help him.

Seonghwa peels himself away from Yunho turning around to see the curly-tailed boy looking at the pair very unamused. The guy is rocking his feet back and forth out of boredom. “No please keep going, just pretend I’m not here and like I didn’t just save your guys’s lives or anything hahaaa.” 

Yunho shrugged apologetically. “S- sorry about that... and thanks for helping me out back there, I would’ve gotten way more beat up if you hadn’t jumped in.”

“Aw it’s no problem cutie...”

Seonghwa butts into the conversation, unamused. “Why did you help us? We’re not popular or anything we can’t give you street cred as a reward...”

“My reputation clearly doesn’t precede me. I’ve been picking fights with those idiots for days now ever since they tried to get nudes out of me. Also wow, you’re welcome too, triangle-ears.” The strange dog hybrid laughs, the nickname obviously meant to be funny. Yunho snickers a bit but Seonghwa doesn’t take it that way, flattening his ears, annoyed.

“Listen here curly-“ 

Yunho interrupts, dispelling Seonghwa’s heated comment. “Thank you. Again, thank you. And if there is anything we can do in return then just say the word.” Seonghwa gives his best friend a small shove and a dirty look in return.

The dog hybrid’s floppy ears perk up up a bit. “I wouldn’t normally want anything in return. Buuuuttt... that was kinda my lunch I threw at that guy back there. So you guys could buy me my lunch tomorrow!”

“Deal.” Yunho responded, exchanging finger-guns with the other dog hybrid. “We’ll meet you at lunch tomorrow then.”

Seonghwa didn’t have time to agree because just then a message plays out over the school intercom. _“Jung Wooyoung please report to the principal’s office.”_

The curly-tailed boy hops off the desk and does does a little jaunt as he walks towards the door. “Duty calls, cuties. Also hey you know my name now.”

Yunho wags his tail, eyes wide and friendly. “My name is-.”

“Ah ah nope. Tell me tomorrow. That goes for you too, triangle-ears.” And with that, the pup, Wooyoung it seems, exits the room.

When the door closes, Seonghwa might as well have had smoke fuming out of his ears while Yunho just looked half-confused, half-amazed. 

Yunho rode the bus with Seonghwa home from school that afternoon.

“I think Wooyoung seems really cool!”

“I think he seems really annoying...” Seonghwa still didn’t trust their new acquaintance. 

“Hyung maybe you’re just looking for a reason to hate him, he’s the first person we’ve met here who hasn’t given us any judgment.”

Seonghwa just hmphed at that, crossing his arms. “Everyone we meet hates us, Yunho. Why should this time be any different?”

The next day at school, Seonghwa and Yunho do buy Wooyoung a sandwich, salami on rye with extra pickles. Seonghwa scrunches his nose up.

Yunho remains eager and friendly with Wooyoung, Seonghwa has to put a hand down on the pup’s tail to stop it from making too much ruckus at their seat in the cafeteria. Him and Wooyoung are talking on and on about dancing, since apparently Wooyoung is a dance major like him, exclaiming “Hey! I know you from class, you’re wonderboy, that golden retriever prodigy!”. 

Wooyoung is hyper and comedic, cracking jokes left and right mid-sentence. Yunho laughs at every one of them, Seonghwa can’t help but let out a snort every once and awhile despite his stony exterior. 

Midway through Wooyoung’s “action packed” story about the time he tried to b-boy to get out of detention, Seonghwa clears his throat, the two dog hybrids looking over at him in curiosity.

“So you don’t think we’re... weird. Or unnatural, or that we-.”

“Have a messed up fetish, are biological endings, a disgrace on society? Nah.” Wooyoung finishes his sentence for him.

Seonghwa tilts his head, still skeptical. “Why not?”

Wooyoung scoffs, leaning back in his chair. “Oh _please_. You guys are the least weird thing I’ve seen this year. I’m too busy getting in dumb fights to have any friends, far as I’m concerned you guys are a lot cooler than I am.”

Seonghwa frowns, lightening his stony glare just a bit. Maybe Wooyoung wasn’t all that bad. And Yunho was right. This was probably the first kid their age they’d met that didn’t turn up a nose to them. This year might be different after all.

Wooyoung and Yunho joke about the fight they got in with the brutes yesterday. Seonghwa tries his best to laugh along but it just reminds him of the comments they made, about “sharing him” and worse. He knows it shouldn’t get to him, peoples comments _don’t_ get to him. But for some reason he can’t get it out of his head. It makes him feel gross and dirty even though nothing happened to him physically.

Seonghwa keeps looks at himself in the mirror that night, notices how he keeps redistributing his fat to different parts of his body, and he wonders what others see when they look at him. He turns around in the mirror multiple times, testing different angles. Seonghwa guesses he’s just trying to know himself again, not knowing where he lost himself in the first place. 

_______

That weekend, Wooyoung invites Yunho and Seonghwa to an outing at the curly-tailed boy’s favorite boba cafe. Yunho gets a milk tea while Seonghwa gets strawberry yogurt with jelly at the bottom. Yunho giggles when he sees the cat hyrbid’s face light up at first sip. Seonghwa says that he’s surprised, but that it’s good and Wooyoung exclaims.

“You guys have never been here before? That’s it. I’m hanging out with losers, what has my life come to.”

Seonghwa rolls his eyes, salty. “Didn’t you say you didn’t have any friends before we came along...”

“Oh he’s finally talking! And did you just imply that we’re friends?”

Seonghwa sputters our a retort. “What? I mean I-“

Wooyoung claps his hands together, putting an arm around Seonghwa who looks like he just let loose the friendship demon and has no idea how to go back on it. “Too late, yep we’re friends now. No way you can get out of it, triangle ears.”

Seonghwa blushes just a bit, pouting. “I mean, since we’re all losers...”

Yunho laughs out loud, highly amused by the scene of the overexcited pup’s proclamation of friendship and Seonghwa with his fake-upset face. 

“See? Seonghwa I told you, you’re already a couple of love birds!” Yunho giggles.

Seonghwa rolls his eyes, but doesn’t protest to Yunho’s statement. Yunho knows he’s got a soft spot for overexcited pups, otherwise they wouldn’t even be best friends.

“If you want to be friends with us then you need to know, you’ll be grouped in with us as the “weird kids”. People will probably gossip about you too...” Seonghwa warned Wooyoung, looking warily over at the dog hybrid.

“Uh huh and guess who else they’re gossiping about?” Wooyoung questioned.

“Um...”

“ _Everyone_. Literally everyone. Another feline/canine friendship scandal will just be water under the bridge in a month. There’s plenty of other dumb shit to bitch about, like this guy in biophysics? He’s a tom who’s dating another tom and it’s driving everyone in the class bananas. You guys aren’t special.”

“I told you!” Yunho nudges Seonghwa’s shoulder.

“Shut up...” Seonghwa gives him a gentle kick under the table in a teasing manner.

“You guys are cute when you argue.” Wooyoung gasps dramatically, slapping his hands down onto the table. “We can all be cute friends together! Who wants to be a cute squad? We can argue each other’s faces off, but like as a team!”

Yunho, unsurprisingly jumps at the notion of having a “cute friend group”. “Yes!”

Seonghwa sighs. Now he has not one, but two energetic fuzz balls to watch over, this year was going to be one heck of a roller coaster ride.

Yunho has Wooyoung and Seonghwa come over to his house for basement movie nights regularly now. The curly-tailed boy has now earned a spot in the cuddle pile in Seonghwa’s book and the three all fall asleep on top of each other halfway through a how to train your dragon marathon. Though Yunho notices that Seonghwa doesn’t groom Wooyoung ever, he only really does that to Yunho. He doesn’t think the boy cares all that much, because when he first witnessed them doing it all he said was. “Ahhh so that’s why Yunho’s hair is so silky all the time!” And then collapsed back onto the golden-haired boy’s lap. 

Now when Seonghwa and Yunho get little ugly comments from the other students, Wooyoung makes an effort to growl at them every single time. Most of the kids just look back at him and start laughing, to which Wooyoung says as they walk away. “That’s right! You _better_ run.” 

Yunho likes to pick Wooyoung up on his shoulders and run across the court during PE like a bunch of morons. Seonghwa scolds them for it every time, to which the two of them both pick him up and run back across the court with a terrified Seonghwa in tow, his tail all puffed up. Yunho really felt like when Wooyoung was around, Seonghwa’s parental-mode went haywire from having to watch two pups at once, and especially since the cat hybrid was the tallest and the oldest it really did feel like that was their dynamic.

The golden-haired boy is honestly surprised Wooyoung managed to so naturally slip into their friendship, and though he still considers Seonghwa his destiny friend (and he’s sure Seonghwa feels the same), he could was easily call Wooyoung a best friend now. The curly-tailed pup has even given both of them nicknames. He calls Yunho “wonder boy” or “my disaster twin” and for Seonghwa, he has “triangle ears” and “pretty kitty”. Yunho asks Seonghwa jokingly why Wooyoung can call Seonghwa pretty but when he does it, Seonghwa gets all weird. Seonghwa just shrugs it off, unresponsive.

The trio are talking around their regular cafeteria table one day, Wooyoung chewing obnoxiously on gum, and Seonghwa having him in a headlock to try in vain to get him to stop. Seonghwa purrs when Yunho taps his foot under the table, and in return wraps his tail around the dog hybrid’s leg.

Wooyoung sticks his tongue out from Seonghwa’s lap. “You guys are gross. Wait until I find a “destiny friend” to play footsie with and then I can third wheel the fuck out of both of you.”

Yunho laughs. “Aw Woo I love and appreciate you! We’re two parts of a whole disaster just like Hyung said!”

Seonghwa coos at Wooyoung. “Don’t worry you’ll always be my only destiny-enemy for life.”

Wooyoung blows a big bubble from his gum indignantly popping it in Seonghwa’s face, and Yunho almost falls over from laughing. Finally everything seemed to be going the right way. 

That year Yunho and Seonghwa hold a joint birthday party with their first ever guest. Wooyoung brings a confetti cannon and they end up picking up the little colored bits of paper into the evening. Afterwards Yunho’s parents give both birthday boys a surprise new version of dance dance revolution. It’s a fun 15th and 16th to say the least 

_______

Halfway through the year, there came a change in the atmosphere among the canine students of Horizon Academy. Yunho called it a living hell, Wooyoung said it was the “horny curse” coming to wreck them all. Seonghwa just called it hormones because, well. That’s what they were.

Not all of the canine hybrids were presenting at once of course, there was a four year period in which the “presentation” would take place, meaning that about one-fourth of the canine hybrid kids were going through the change in hormones, and of course their first heat/rut. It was obvious though, when it happened.

Suddenly half the canines in the school were in relationships, wagging their tails in the halls and flaunting their new placement to their friends. And even bragging about who they got to help with their heat/rut. Scent was a key factor in identifying what one’s placement was, and according to Yunho and Wooyoung, the crowds were packed with smells. All through the halls, Yunho would turn bright red in the ears and cover them for the rest of the day. Wooyoung just liked to joke about it 24/7.

“Literally everyone wants to fuck anything right now. It’s like the horny hunger games, everyone’s gotta match up or you’re doomed to the ultimate horror: eternal horniness.”

The school also required regular std testings for anyone over a certain age, which Seonghwa figured was pretty smart all things considered.

Yunho always avoided the subject. Seonghwa tried confronting him about it one night when they were alone in Yunho’s bedroom. “It’s natural, pup. You can talk to me about it anytime you feel like.”

“You know I haven’t even presented yet right? My brain’s just being stupid, I’ll get over it eventually.” Seonghwa can tell Yunho isn’t fine.

“Your ears are all droopy. You can’t tell me you’re fine when I know you’re not. Are you worried that you’ll be an omega?”

Wooyoung had bolted over to their table at lunch the other day with a fresh new horror story from his physics class about some omega that presented randomly in the locker rooms and gone into a coma halfway through the ordeal. A day later there were nudes spread of the poor girl to most social groups in the school. Seonghwa had noticed the way Yunho shrank back a bit when Wooyoung finished telling them what happened. He knows presenting has been a fear of his best friend’s since their classes at their old school. 

“I- I’m not sure... I don’t think omegas are bad, being one would be fine. It’s just...”

Seonghwa sighs. “I get it.” He really does. None of the feline hybrids asked him out or pushed his boundaries anymore, but the amount of overbearing alpha and beta canine hybrids that approached him increased. Only slightly, but enough to notice for sure. Seonghwa would tuck his tail to his side and hunched over a bit more every time it happened.

“You know how people called me “kitty omega” for awhile back in middle school? Queens are basically the feline hybrid equivalent of being an omega. The idea of assault... of being taken advantage of, not being able to do anything about it...”

“It’s scary.” Yunho shivers.

“It’s fucking terrifying.”

Yunho nods, a moment of silence passing between the two boys.

“But.”

Yunho’s eyes go back to Seonghwa, bringing him back to reality.

“If you are an omega, we’ll have one more thing in common won’t we?” Seonghwa tilts his head and smiles sweetly at the golden-haired boy.

After that night, Yunho feels at least a bit more relieved. And even if he didn’t turn out to be an omega, he still felt closer to Seonghwa than he ever had.

The cat hybrid has started singing Yunho to sleep every time he stays over. Yunho thinks his voice is the most beautiful thing he’s ever heard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the high school segment will probably be four chapters long, three if I manage to bring the word count down because I don’t want to wait too long before the main story starts  
> i’ll try to make the chapters each roughly 5k  
> hope you enjoyed! <3


	4. Window Shopping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fourth chapter! there’s going to be two more chapters for the high school arc... just a warning that this fic is probably going to end up pretty long...
> 
> also reminder that there will be NO explicit content while the characters are underage
> 
> hope you all enjoy <3

Seonghwa’s parents didn’t know Wooyoung existed. As far as they knew, the cat hybrid still only had one single friend. Seonghwa didn’t tell them about Wooyoung, never brought him up. The pup understood why, saying his parents were “kinda freaky too”. Seonghwa laughed. He didn’t think his parents were freaky, just very biased. 

Seonghwa took Wooyoung to the mall one day during summer break, Yunho was busy practicing for his entrance exams in dance. Seonghwa took him to the ice cream parlor and then per the dog hybrid’s request, the toy store. Wooyoung bought a plastic dinosaur that looked like it was pregnant via a factory mistake and Seonghwa bought a gundam model. Wooyoung yapped on and on about how Yunho was at the top of their class, how he was crazy talented and that people were starting to look up to him. He tried to act out a move Yunho had done at one of their showcases with Seonghwa’s help, knocking over a sunglasses vendor. The curly-tailed boy immediately grabbed Seonghwa’s hand and bolted.

But the real mischief came when the pair walked past a certain store. Particularly, a store selling very lacy undergarments. There were displays showcasing posed models of queens and omegas with highly unrealistic body types all decked out in frills and silk at the storefront. Everything from there and beyond was all lit with pink and blue. Wooyoung’s eyes turned wide as saucers and that’s when Seonghwa knew he was really in trouble. 

“I can see the gears turning in that brain of yours what the hell are you dragging me into” Seonghwa plants his feet outside the shop, not intending to move.

“We are going in there.”

“No we are not.”

“Come _on_ Hyung I’ve always wanted a crazy friend I could do this shit with. It’s just for laughs!”

“Yes and I’m sure _Yunho_ will be happy to take you on a joyride through the lingerie store next time.”

“Hyung.....” Wooyoung pouts at Seonghwa, looking up at him with big fake-innocent eyes.

Seonghwa gives one last sigh of defeat. “Fine.”

“Yes! Hyung you won’t regret it you’re gonna look hot as fuck.”

“Wait wha-“ And Wooyoung’s already disappeared into the store. Great. Seonghwa trails in after him, clutching his toy store bag in embarrassment as he speed walks past the romantically lit displays.

Seonghwa finds Wooyoung holding up what looks like a giant diaper in the back of the store, laughing his ass off. 

Seonghwa crosses his arms. And twitches an ear. “Nice to see you’ve found the section for your age range, toddler.”

Wooyoung throws the garment back in the drawer where he got it. “Very funny triangle-ears. Now let’s get to actually shopping...”

The curly tailed boy picks and peeks at most every drawer in the store, Seonghwa trailing along behind his overexcited friend holding all the things he wants to try on like he’s his personal assistant or something. Seonghwa tried to keep a stoic, straight face the entire time through the store, but every once and awhile he’ll see a more modest fit and can’t help but wonder what it might look like on him.

Halfway through the store, Wooyoung forces Seonghwa to close his eyes while the dog hybrid leads him by his hand, Seonghwa half expecting the pup to lock him in the fitting rooms or something along those lines. But when Wooyoung tells him to open his eyes, he sees not a fitting room wall and the sound of a lock clicking, but a set of underwear on a legs-only model in a part of the store they’d already been past. It’s white and made of lace, no convenient holes or suspicious strings, just a cute little red bow in the middle. It looked... nice.

Wooyoung sashays in front of Seonghwa’s line of vision. “Tada!” He exclaims. “You’ve always got that little bow around your wrist so I thought maybe it would win you over?”

Seonghwa stares at the model for a nice long five seconds before Wooyoung talks again, a dumbfounded look on his face. “Oh my god you’re actually considering it what the fuck.”

Seonghwa instantly blushes and crosses his arms, looking anywhere but Wooyoung and the set. “Why would I waste my money on dumb panties... I just like the colors that’s all.”

“It would look cute on you! Just imagine, Hyung!” 

The cat hybrid just hmphs in response, flattening his ears, but softening his gaze. “You... you think so?” 

“Won’t know til you try it on!” Wooyoung is now rooting through the drawers under the model, not taking one glance to match up the drawer number at all. Seonghwa tries to keep his cool as Wooyoung marches them over to the fitting rooms, but with the way the curly-tailed boy is snickering at him, Seonghwa knows he probably has a prominent amount of color on his face.

Wooyoung peeks through Seonghwa’s fitting room. “Take as much time as you need...” Before shutting the door and leaving Seonghwa with just himself and the little lacy bits. 

He sits in the corner of the ridiculously decked out room for a minute stubbornly before giving in to his curiosity. Why was he so scared? Wooyoung dragged him in here, might as well at least try it on right? 

Seonghwa turned around in the mirror several times after finally slipping the stupid thing on, he tested various angles, lifting and lowering his fluffy tail, repeating what Wooyoung has said in his head. “It’s for you, Hyung. Not for anyone you bang in the future. This is to make you feel like a god!” It’s been awhile since the last harassment incident, or since he’s been catcalled, but Seonghwa has still been mindful about what he wears out in public. The undergarments... made him feel pretty. And he could wear them without people seeing and taking it as an invitation to push his boundaries.

When Seonghwa left the fitting rooms, Wooyoung yelled through the door. “I’m on the fourth one just- ow! Just a minute I’ll be out in a minute- fucking hell...” The dark haired boy rolled his eyes, endeared. 

Seonghwa didn’t throw the underwear into the return bin, and the look on the dog hybrid’s face was one of shock and hilarity, making a beeline towards checkout “before Seonghwa comes to his senses”.

Wooyoung got a black three for one set of fancy underwear, a bralette with plastic spikes coming out of it that was obviously meant to be a dumb joke, and something that looked like it belonged in a torture chamber being passed off as a “modest bottom” that the pup was apparently gifting to Yunho. Seonghwa silently prayed for the poor boy’s mental health.

The lady checking them out, a husky hybrid, looks to be a few years older than them and has some of the worst eye bags Seonghwa’s seen on a retail worker. She rings up Seonghwa’s item without batting an eye. But when it comes for Wooyoung’s turn, the lady snorts a bit and looks Wooyoung up and down, “bdsm? Really?”

Wooyoung does little finger guns. “Tis the season? Or whatever they say...” Obviously meant to be humorous. Seonghwa bites his lip and shifts from foot to foot waiting for the lady to get a move on.

She just giggles. “Well you’re a pretty cute pup... I’d imagine with that figure you could pull off just about anything...” The lady is scanning the curly tailed boy’s body again, stopping a bit at his behind. Seonghwa flattens his ears.

Wooyoung raises an eyebrow in suspicion, suddenly very wary. He still tries to play it off with comedy. “Well I mean, it’s not for me it’s a for a friend... but I thought the bra thing would make a pretty good ramen bowl... spice up the... occasion...” Wooyoung gives her the money, but he’s a few dollars short and the pup is frantically searching his pockets.

Seonghwa gave Wooyoung a look that said to get out quick. 

The husky hybrid still continues to bag his things. “You smell real nice, cutie... if you hop on back to the fitting rooms I could maybe... give you a discount?” She’s looking at Wooyoung like she wants to eat him. Seonghwa is this close to stepping in and leaving the items in the bags.

Wooyoung awkwardly taps his foot on the floor. “Riigghhtt... I’ll just... I don’t need the discount! Haha I’m just, so fucking wealthy... and shit... haha. Now then...” Wooyoung is running out of his spunk, and fast. Seonghwa dips in next to Wooyoung so quickly the cashier lady is startled when he speaks up. 

“I can pay for that, ma’am.” He tries putting on his best stink eye. The lady looks confused, but nonetheless put off by Seonghwa’s presence. 

“O...kay. Well then.” The lady takes Seonghwa’s card hesitantly and the rest of the check-out is quick and easy. But Seonghwa doesn’t miss the way the cashier watches Wooyoung’s back as they leave. The cat hybrid grabs Wooyoung’s arm, speed walking away from the shop.

Once they’re well gone from the lingerie store, Seonghwa sighs. “Well that was... disturbing. Wooyoung are you oka-“

But before Seonghwa can finish, the curly-tailed boy is rushing into the bathrooms next to them, throwing his bags next to the entrance. Seonghwa gathers up Wooyoung’s things confusedly before hurrying into the bathrooms after his friend. 

“Wooyoung?”

All Seonghwa gets in response is the sounds of Wooyoung rooting through his pockets, and then a bunch of slight spraying noises. Seonghwa opens the stall door hesitantly. The pup hadn’t bothered to lock it.

“Wooyoung? What’s wrong?”

The pup is breathing heavily, misting his body up and down with what looks to be some kind of weird deodorant. He ignores Seonghwa’s question. Seonghwa sets the bags down and grabs the hand Wooyoung’s using to spray himself with, looking his friend in the eye. “Hey, hey hey hey Wooyoung calm down it’s ok. It’s ok. You’re ok.”

Wooyoung rips himself out of Seonghwa’s grip and begins to spray himself again. “I won’t be ok if I don’t fucking get rid of this shit...”

Seonghwa tilts his head to the side. Was Wooyoung going insane? “Wooyoung. Wooyoung stop. _Wooyoung_.” Seonghwa takes his friend’s shoulders and tries to focus the pup in his direction. “Wooyoung listen to me!”

“Just go away Hyung.”

“Wooyoung... please. You can tell me what’s wrong I’ll understand.”

“It’s nothing!”

“Wooyoung I won’t judge you I’ve been through this too! It’s natural to panic trust me but spraying deodorant won’t help you!” 

“Yes it will!” 

“Look at me, queens and omegas go through this on a day to day basis. This is a big thing I know but if you just stop spraying yourself I can help you calm down!”

“Oh for fucks sake... Seonghwa _I’m_ an omega!” Wooyoung throws the bottle of deodorant at the bathroom floor and Seonghwa is left dumbfounded.

That night Wooyoung reveals to Seonghwa and Yunho that he’d been spraying himself with deodorant for about a week now to cover up his scent. So people wouldn’t know he’d presented already. He said he hadn’t gotten help with his heat, that it was one of the most humiliating and painful experiences he’s ever gone through in his life. Yunho wrapped his form around their friend, the older pup tearing up. Seonghwa joined in a moment later, purring to ease their tears.

From that night foreword, the cat hybrid was eternally grateful that felines had their placement’s assigned at birth, not randomly popping up at the most confusing part of teendom. He hoped with all his heart Yunho would end up a beta and only have to have a mini heat or rut. Seonghwa just wanted the best for both of his friends.

The next morning the first thing Seonghwa saw when he woke up was Yunho racing past the couch, followed by Wooyoung who was dangling the torture dungeon bottom from the lingerie store chasing the golden-haired boy. Yunho was yelling comically at Wooyoung to get the fuck away from him with that thing. Good to know everything was back to normal.

But something Wooyoung had said from their conversation last night stuck with Seonghwa. 

_“No matter what I do, if I’m identifiable then I will always be seen as weak. People will look at me, and the first thing they’ll see is omega. Not Wooyoung, but omega. If I can do anything to change that then I will.”_

_______

Yunho won his first wrestling match not long after school started back up. The first thing he said after winning was. “I don’t know how I did that.” With the blankest look on his face. Seonghwa says he’s too sweet to hurt anyone while thinking too much about it. 

Most of the kids watching the match were rooting for the other contestant (a jaguar hybrid), as Yunho was significantly smaller than her, and when Yunho beat her most of the audience besides Seonghwa and Wooyoung were quiet with disbelief. It wasn’t new to the golden-haired boy. 

As long as Yunho stayed the skinny little non-threatening pup he was, it didn’t matter the school or the hybrids in it. People would continue to underestimate him no matter what.

Until they didn’t.

One month Yunho began to level out to be the same height as Seonghwa, not a big problem. No surprises there. Seonghwa figured that growth spurt the pup had been betting on would have to come around eventually or it’d just be pathetic for him.

Except this wasn’t a growth spurt at all. The right term for Yunho’s height change was more like a growth eruption, or as Wooyoung later dubbed it, the “hunkening”. 

While one month Seonghwa and Yunho were on equal levels height-wise, the next month Seonghwa had to tilt his head up slightly to look him in the eye, and the next Seonghwa was face to neck with him, the top of the older boy’s head ending at Yunho’s lips. The change is so sudden it feels like it happened overnight. 

And eventually, with the height boost came the body to go with it. Seonghwa was half sure Yunho had started taking testosterone shots midway through their schooling because over time, the dog hybrid’s form began to fill out, his shoulders becoming broad and strong, slim lean muscles wrapping around the previously bony boy’s body. Yunho swore it was just from his dancing and wrestling but Seonghwa still snooped around the pup’s pantry on the hunt for protein powder or something of the sort every time he came over.

Yunho’s hands were wide and calloused now, Seonghwa couldn’t believe just a year ago they had been small and soft in his grip. 

Yunho’s slam dunk into puberty coincided with a sudden drop in the amount of passive aggressive looks and odd comments the dog hybrid got in the halls of the school. Some kids even thought that the golden-haired boy was a whole different person after he shot up. 

That year, Wooyoung’s birthday comes in with a bang, the pup taking Yunho and Seonghwa to an ice skating rink without telling them he has no idea how to skate. At all. Needless to say there’s more than a few nose-dives and bruised knees acquired that day. Yunho watches Seonghwa glide effortlessly across the ice, long legs moving gracefully as he flies around the rink. Apparently his parents take him skating every year, Yunho is once again reminded of how little he knows about Seonghwa’s family life.

Yunho and Wooyoung hold hands most of the time, falling on top of one another hilariously. One or two times they even take Seonghwa down with them.

Likewise, Seonghwa Yunho’s annual joint birthday jamboree came too soon after. Yunho’s sweet sixteen and Seonghwa’s “sour” seventeen as they decided to call it was spent in a puppy pile on Yunho’s couch, snacks and drinks at their near disposal. They marathoned most every Spider-Man movie Yunho had on collector’s edition and then, upon Wooyoung’s request, watched a very cheesy drama Yunho knows Seonghwa enjoyed but won’t admit. 

_______

Some of the kids were starting to gather in a small crowd after classes, peering through the glass into the dance studio to watch Yunho practice. It wasn’t a major amount, but enough to conclude that something had changed regarding Yunho’s status as a school outcast with Seonghwa. They all started using the name “wonderboy” for the pup too, something Wooyoung found irritating. 

Wooyoung brings up Yunho’s new little fanclub at lunch one day. “They’re just a bunch of omegas and betas looking for a lay. Ignore them Yunho.”

Yunho drooped his tail a bit, eyes big and questioning. “But aren’t they there to watch me dance?”

“Oh they’re there to watch you do _something_ that’s for sure.”

Seonghwa giggles a bit and covers his mouth next to Yunho, who just feels even more confused, looking back and forth between his two friends for answers, being met with more incredulous and embarrassed looks. 

Seonghwa caves and leans his head on Yunho’s shoulder a bit, fluffy ears tickling the boy’s neck. “Aww pup don’t worry about it...”

Yunho grumbles and leans his head on Seonghwa’s in return, still not quite understanding what they were talking about.

That afternoon a small omega girl with long droopy ears walks up to Yunho with a nervous expression on her face, looking shyly up at the golden-haired boy. She asks him if he wants to go get ice cream after class with her. Funny, Yunho’s only seen this girl in one or two of his classes, never talked to her in his life. He’s not one to turn down a new acquaintance though, and enthusiastically says he’s going with his friends to the boba place, but that she can come too. The omega girl blushes and says she’s alright, that she has other plans. Why would she ask Yunho originally then? The golden-haired boy just pouts a bit but doesn’t protest.

The girl turns bright red when Yunho says he likes her ponytail. It reminds the pup of Seonghwa when he gets all weird. 

After school at the boba place, Yunho tells his best friends about the odd incident, and Wooyoung and Seonghwa are both on the floor, Wooyoung almost spilling his green tea.

“Yunho you absolute player!” Wooyoung is howling as he scrambles to get back in his seat. “You heartbreaker!”

“What? That wasn’t it she didn’t ask me to date her or anything... she just wanted to hang out with us- with me- actually I’m not sure but she did originally want to go eat something with me.”

“What do you think a date is, silly pup?” Seonghwa puts a hand on Yunho’s and tosses his head back with more laughter. Yunho blushes up all the way to his ears, Seonghwa always says it’s adorable, Yunho thinks it’s just an inconvenience. 

“Are you sure she wanted to date me?”

Wooyoung put two hands on Yunho’s shoulders and looked at him head on. “Yunho. My buddy, my disaster twin. You are a hunk now, and a single one at that in a school filled with horny presentation fever-induced idiots. You’re gonna get asked out, more than once.”

“But I haven’t even presented yet! What do they want from me?” Yunho’s face is still bright red, Seonghwa coos at him and pinches his rosy ear adoringly.

“Uhh a bit of that big fat alpha kn-“

Seonghwa slaps a hand over Wooyoung’s face at lightning speed, Yunho missing the last part of the curly-tailed boy’s sentence. “They think you’re an alpha because you’re tall, Yunho.” Seonghwa flicks an ear at Wooyoung who shoves Seonghwa off of him finally. 

Yunho cringes back a bit but continues. “They can just smell me and they’ll know I’m not... I’m a virgin! And one without a placement too...”

Wooyoung opens his mouth again. “They don’t care. They just want to be there when you do present so they can provide for any... alpha needs or some shit. I wouldn’t know I’m an omega.”

Yunho gags, turning somehow even more red than before and Seonghwa rubs the pup’s back to comfort him. The conversation doesn’t continue but Yunho thinks for the rest of the day on what his friends said. Why would being tall make him an alpha? Neither type nor placement had anything to do with your body type, they’d been taught that in class! Why does everyone want him to be an alpha? Yunho just wishes he could get this whole presentation business over with and done.

_______

One night Yunho and Wooyoung were stacked one on top of the other, Wooyoung lying sideways across Yunho’s broad chest. It’s strange how the smaller boy’s scent has evolved. Wooyoung only recently felt comfortable enough to stop wearing deodorant. Seonghwa swears nothing’s changed but Yunho can clearly smell the scent of peppermint and milk on the boy if he gets close enough.

Currently, said boy is complaining about some creep he saw at the convenience store who was replacing all the condom boxes with fish food. Yunho points out that it sounds like something Wooyoung would do to which he protests.

“It does not. I’d like to think I have a certain style and mystique to my jokes thank you very much.”

“You’d think with us being dancers we’d have a bit more of that but Seonghwa’s got more elegance than we could ever wish for.”

“Please. He assembles gundams and hates mint chocolate. That alone lowers his taste and elegance levels by like at least seventy percent.”

Yunho laughs out loud. It hurts a bit since the smaller boy is still flopped on top of his chest but Yunho can deal with a bit of lung strain. He thinks fondly of Seonghwa. His cat hybrid best friend is at a dinner party with his parents tonight and couldn’t make it. Yunho can remember last time the boy came back from one of those he cried into Yunho’s shoulder. Apparently his mamma had tried to get him to sit at a separate table with another angora, a tom who’s parents were attending the party. The tom had called Seonghwa a freak the moment he got close enough to smell Yunho and wooyoung’s scent on him. Yunho touches the friendship ribbon him and Seonghwa had made at the start of high school.

“Heyyy... your ears are all droopy. Yunho what is it?” Wooyoung cranes his head back to look his friend in the eyes.

Yunho blinked, staring at the basement ceiling. “You think hyung’s parents will ever let up on the whole arranged marriage thing?”

Wooyoung snorts a bit. “Beats me. I mean if they really love him then they’ll let the poor guy like whoever he wants to like...”

“I’ve been right by his side for so long now and they haven’t once given him a break. I’m surprised they haven’t sent... assassins... or something to take us out so he’ll be “canine-free”. They probably don’t even know that you exist.”

“I’m glad. His mamma honestly sounds terrifying.”

“Oh my god she is. She looks like a retired supermodel.”

“Who never got her big break so now she’s pinning it all on her son!” Wooyoung adds on.

Yunho laughs at that and Wooyoung rolls over so he’s spooning the older pup instead. “Makes sense though, Seonghwa Hyung definitely seems the type to end up on a runway.” Wooyoung sighs and wraps his arms around Yunho. “I still think this whole ‘hunky Yunho’ thing is a muscle suit... It’s not fun to big spoon you anymore...”

Yunho smiles to himself. “It doesn’t stop Seonghwa hyung... don’t complain you’re just jealous you’re still so tiny.”

“I prefer the term bite-size. And Hyung hasn’t stopped big spooning you cause he’s in denial.”

Yunho smirks just a bit and turns around so he’s facing Wooyoung, who makes an annoyed face, rolling his eyes and flipping over so Yunho can big spoon him. 

Yunho sighs into the position as Wooyoung begins to speak again. “I don’t know... family is fucked up, Yunho. Society tries to enforce this idea of like, one of this one of that, have a baby grow the population etcetera etcetera. It’s a bunch of bullshit.”

The older pup speaks. “I guess... I’m lucky then. Growing up I just thought all families were supportive and kind like mine. I was stupid and young so it was ok I guess, but when I met Seonghwa I just... everything got a lot more real.”

“It’s not right. Take my parents for instance. They hate each other, no dodging that fact. They argue and hit each other every day. But they have to stay together or they’ll both go broke. So much for the “perfect family” am I right?” Wooyoung is silent for a second. “And don’t even get me started on placement and pairing politics. The second my appa found out I was an omega... god he wasn’t happy that’s for sure. Omegas are treated like fucking scum.”

Yunho whined just a bit, burying his face into Wooyoung’s neck. 

Wooyoung startled a bit. “I’m sorry Yunho... I know that talking about placements makes you feel like shit.”

“No its... its fine.” The golden-haired boy swallowed hesitantly. “Yeah it makes me scared but I need to hear about it or I’ll never get over my fears right?”

Wooyoung smiled. “Our little baby is growing up! More like big baby now though...” 

“I’m older than you!” 

“Whatever... not in spirit you’re not. You’re sure you’re ok?”

Yunho paused for a moment. “I am. I gotta get over someday.” He did. Yunho knew he did. He also knew he shouldn’t beat himself up for being so scared of presenting but he couldn’t help it. And yet no matter how much he tried to escape the idea, his mind would always circle back to the same questions. Once he did finally present, would people see him the same way? Would his friends treat him differently, would he be able to become a dancer without people over or underestimating him? Would Seonghwa still like him? 

Yunho knows the “hunkening” shook the cat hybrid up just a bit. Yunho’s always suspected his best friend had a fear of growing up, a fear of things changing to much. Sometimes Seonghwa looks at him and Yunho’s sure the dark-haired boy sees a completely different person in his eyes. He knows it’s a dumb thing to worry about, but would their relationship change after Yunho presented?

Wooyoung brings him out of his thoughts. “Think about if I were to for instance, start dating another omega. There’s a millions of people who date people with the same placement and yet just because dating opposite of your placement is the majority, kids still will log you onto the ‘weirdo list’ for doing it.”

The curly-tailed pup continues. “Like did you ever feel like a freak for being friends with Seonghwa?”

Yunho remembers when he and Seonghwa first met, a time when no one really cared who or why you were friends with someone. They were so little back then, no idea what the future had in store for them. “I think the first time I felt like a freak was when I met Seonghwa’s parents. His mamma treated me like I was invisible. I could never figure out why. And then in middle school there were always times when I had to sit down and question myself. Like am I a weirdo? Do I just want to get in his pants and I don’t know it yet? Dumb stuff like that.”

Wooyoung plays with Yunho’s fingers while the older pup continues. “But Seonghwa would always tell me never to let them get to me. Never let them break me down. If it hadn’t been for him I probably wouldn’t have made it all those years.” The pup huffs a bit. “Now I think I’m long past worrying that I’ll take out any ‘hidden feline fetishes’ on him.”

Wooyoung giggled. “Yunho you’re so lucky... and so innocently sweet, you know that? You’re gonna grow up and change the world, one kick flip at a time...”

Yunho mumbles a thanks, wagging his tail in a doze. “And you’re the toughest pup I’ve ever met, don’t let anyone step on you or tell you who you should or shouldn’t be. Ever.”

Wooyoung smiles. “Wasn’t planning on it, wonderboy.”

_______

The next evening Yunho takes Seonghwa to the park at night to watch the stars, spreading out a blanket and leaning back to stare into the infinite beyond. 

He hesitantly asks Seonghwa partway through the night. “Do you think things will change when I present?”

Seonghwa purrs at him reassuringly. “Of course not, pup. What makes you think that?” 

Yunho rolls to lean over where Seonghwa is lying down, watching the way the stars reflect in Seonghwa’s wide eyes. He’s still not used to how he now towers over the older boy. “I mean... I only recently just grew. A lot. It’s nice and all but... it’s strange. I know I should be happy no one bothers us anymore but... I already sort of feel like people see me different.” The pup pauses. “That you... see me different.”

Seonghwa frowns a bit at him. “I... didn’t know you felt that way, Yunho. You’ve been so cute and little for so long and now... it’s just startling is all.”

Yunho gives Seonghwa a look that says he doesn’t believe him. Seonghwa continues. “And... I guess it’s hard. Seeing you grow up that is. You were so little... I’m kind of-.”

“Scared that things will change too fast.” Yunho finishes. “That we’ll change.”

Seonghwa looks up at the younger boy. “I... yeah. Actually. That’s exactly right.”

Yunho swallows. “I’m scared too, Hyung.” 

“Oh pup...”

Seonghwa settles his head in Yunho’s lap, his legs curled up and tail flicking lazily. The dark haired boy purrs and says. “Nothing needs to change. Not one thing, I won’t let it, pup... Don’t you worry about us.” Seonghwa’s smile is confident and sure.

Yunho leans back on his hands and returns his gaze up to the sky, hoping with all his heart that Seonghwa was right, that things could stay the same, even if he knew deep down they never did. The stars have gotten brighter with the increased darkness, but Seonghwa’s purring is starting to make him sleepier. They should pack up soon. He begins to scratch Seonghwa’s soft ears gently.

Seonghwa stretches his long legs out over the blanket, leaning into Yunho’s touch. “Now _you_ can let _me_ sit in you lap instead of vice versa. It’s about time I got some payback for all those years of lounging around with you plopped on top of me all the time.”

Yunho smiles, continuing to pet his hyung’s ears. “You loved my cuddles, Hyung. Admit it I’m a very charming lapdog and you should be honored I chose your lap specifically to nap on.”

“I loved your cuddles but my legs felt numb afterwards every time... even if you were a runt... You were so _little_ , Yunho I’m getting whiplash just from looking at you...” Seonghwa whines, obviously very tired at this point. 

“Face it, Hyung. Now you get to be the cute one in our friendship.”

Even in low lighting Yunho can see the way Seonghwa turns pink, muttering about how Yunho was still the cute one or something along those lines. Yunho always thought it was so sweet when he did that, it was always endearing to watch Seonghwa get so embarrassed by his compliments.

“Would you ever date another queen?” Yunho asks randomly, thinking of what Wooyoung had said the other day.

Seonghwa flicked an ear. “I’m not opposed to it. I guess I never thought that’d be an option... my parents being my parents and all... they probably wouldn’t like that.” Seonghwa’s parents were always insistent on one viable option for Seonghwa in the dating pool, which was a purebred tom cat hybrid preferably another angora. 

“As much as they like us being friends?” Yunho pointed out.

Seonghwa hums. “You’re right... yeah I’d date a queen. Don’t know if that’s make me a narcissist or not... what about you? I mean once you present...”

Yunho thought about it for a second. “It depends on what placement I get... maybe if I was an omega or a beta but.... Fuck... I really don’t want to be or date an alpha, Hyung they’re so gross and pushy...” Most every alpha Yunho came across in class exhibited one of the following behaviors: pressured omegas into dating them, enforced gross stereotypes onto omegas, or pressured other alphas into being emotionally constipated assholes. And he’d be lucky to meet one that didn’t have all three.

“You could be the only good one? And try to promote good behavior on their part or something, become the blueprint.”

“You think they’d follow?”

“No. But it’s be a nice change, to have a sweet kind alpha...” Seonghwa props himself up against Yunho’s leg and looks up at the golden-haired boy. “That’s why you got so tall, pup! Now you’re body matches the size of your heart...” Seonghwa says it in a teasing way but Yunho is still touched by the sentiment.

“Hyung... that’s so sweet...”

Being tall was nice and all, but Yunho would be lying if he said that the new attention due to his growth spurt didn’t mess with him a bit. He understood the idea behind it... a lot of omegas wanted a tall strong alpha to spend the rest of their lives with and sire their pups and carry the groceries and all that nonsense. The fact that they see that in _him_ is what’s weird. He never thought of himself as an alpha, never wanted to anyways. 

“And pup?” The older boy says. Yunho’s ears perk up a bit, attention drawn to the older boy. “You might be big and broad now but just know you’ll always be my cute little boy. My fluffy best friend. Got it?

Yunho giggles. “Got it, Hyung.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you think anything needs tagging please let me know! 
> 
> also for reference:  
> Seonghwa is an angora cat hybrid  
> Yunho is a golden retriever mix hybrid  
> and Wooyoung is a chow chow mix hybrid, hence the curly tail
> 
> thanks for reading <3<3


	5. Fox Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here’s the fifth chapter!! it’s extra long and grab your tissues for this one cause it’s gonna be painful...
> 
> hope you all enjoy <3 <3

It’s the day before Yunho’s seventeenth birthday, along with Seonghwa’s eighteenth and preparations for a small party are underway, Yunho’s family is hanging up decorations for the festivities when Yunho’s appa collapses onto the ground trying to hang up a frilly streamer. 

The man is sent into the emergency room at the hospital for heart failure. Yunho cries. A lot. All the way to the hospital in fact, unable to think straight. He’s under intensive care for about 6 hours, all of which Yunho is sitting devastated in the waiting room, bawling his eyes out while his eomma comforts him, awaiting any good news. Something to give him a bit of hope.

_“You’re appa is alive!”_

_“You can come see him now.”_

_“It was close, but we saved him.”_

Anything would suffice.

The only thing that Yunho and his eomma get is a small paper slip with finely written words summarizing their costs and the nurse’s sad face saying . “I’m so sorry...”

He doesn’t know why or how or what was the cause of it, but somehow ever since that moment, Yunho hasn’t cried. Can’t cry at all actually. He feels like he’s suffocating.

Yunho doesn’t cry at all that night after seeing his appa’s body. He just stops. He’s just gazing on into his appa’s lifeless eyes, wondering what in the world took him. What decided this should happen. Why? Could Yunho have done anything to stop it?

_“It could have happened to anyone...”_

_“There was nothing you could do, sweetie.”_

_“He’s still with you... in memory.”_

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Seonghwa puts a hand on Yunho’s shoulder and leans down to look the dog hybrid in the eye, face full of concern. The two of them are sitting across from each other on the pup’s bed. Yunho’s eomma had asked his best friend over right after he came back from his trip, hoping that talking to him would distract the golden-haired boy from the current situation, ease his stress. How could he think of talking when he can’t think straight?

“Just... stay.”

“I will.”

Yunho curls up into a ball and stares at his own hand, tracing the lines of his calloused fingers, trying to conjure up... something. Anything at all. But he can’t. His mind is blank at best. Why can’t he cry? Is this what Seonghwa felt like in middle school? 

The cat hybrid wraps himself around his friend, but doesn’t purr. He just stays. And that’s what really mattered. Yunho figures it’s not the time to pretend like everything’s ok. 

Yunho stops going to school for awhile, stops dance practice too. He tells Seonghwa and Wooyoung he needs some space, needs time to think by himself. Wooyoung gives him an encouraging (and smothering) hug and tells the older pup he’ll get through this. Seonghwa wraps his tail around Yunho’s thigh and says he’ll be there when his best friend is ready.

“Take all the time in the world, pup. I’ll be there when you’re ready.”

Yunho was half expecting Seonghwa to feel hurt Yunho couldn’t talk to him. The golden-haired boy still smiles sadly back at the cat hybrid. “I don’t doubt you will.”

The pup stares vacantly at the walls of his small room, clenching his fists up like a child and trying desperately to shed a single tear, blinking and tensing up his muscles. He ends up passing out onto the covers and when he wakes back up nothing has changed at all. Same room, same absence, same empty feeling in his heart. He can’t breath.

_______

It’s been a few weeks since Yunho decided to take some space and Seonghwa is browsing clothes in a mall department store, trying not to think to much about his best friend, filling his days to make it seem like time is going faster. He’s browsing the row near the entrance when he first hears a commotion coming from the roundabout checkout area. 

“I said get out of the way, kid. You’re just causing more trouble.”

“Sir with all due respect-“

“I said get out of my store.”

Poking his head around a rack of bright red garters, Seonghwa can see a guy, a floppy-eared dog hybrid it looks like, with a big pinstripe suit next to the register, talking down a boy with pointy ears wearing very skinny jeans and clutching a couple of t-shirts in his hands. You could tell it’s an unfair argument just by glancing at the scene but Seonghwa still begins to walk foreword in curiosity.

The kid doesn’t seem to be backing down. “Look, run that bill through the doohickey or whatever you need to, it’s not fake.”

“Is it, Min?”

The Dalmatian hybrid behind the register, Min he assumes, is tapping away at his phone, obviously not taking in one bit of the situation. He does however resurface to nod at the manager nonchalantly. 

“Case closed, kid. Get out of my store.”

“That bill isn’t fake, sir. Look at it again, you’ll clearly see your worker is lying.”

“And why would I trust someone like _you_ over my valued employee?” The manager pats the guy behind the register on the shoulder and the guy just shrugs, unamused. 

The boy give the manager an icy look. “My record is crystal clear, I’ll have you know.”

“And why would I believe that? I’ve dealt with your kind before, kid don’t think I won’t call authorities on you if need be. They keep tags on fox hybrids you know.”

A fox hybrid? Seonghwa had thought the boy was a cat hybrid like him. The boy turns to face slightly away from Seonghwa and that’s when he first catches a glance at his bushy russet white-tipped tail. Oh shit. This was not good.

The bushy-tailed boy’s stare somehow gets even more icy and dark as he crosses his arms and begins to spit out a retort at the manager. “Just because you’re the manager here, doesn’t mean you get to-“

Before the fox hybrid can say anything else, Seonghwa reveals himself from behind the rack of garters, sidling up to the cash register and putting a hand on the shorter boy’s shoulder in mock familiarity.

“Hey, oh man I’ve been looking all over for you! Where did you slip off to, uh...”

The fox hybrid is looking at him, clearly weirded out but not saying anything. Seonghwa didn’t think this through, nervously glancing at the manager who looks even more irritated. Fuck.

“Um... anyways I can cover this. Just give back the bill and I can pay for... my friend’s stuff. Sir.”

The fox boy is stiff under Seonghwa’s palm. He gives Seonghwa a look that says. _“This one’s on you, buddy.”_

Seonghwa looks back over to the manager with newfound confidence, slipping his mall membership card out of his pocket. “Here. Pay for the rest of my friend’s items and mine. We can just act like this never happened.”

The manager sniffs pompously, clearly not trusting Seonghwa either, but taking the cat hybrids’s card angrily, giving it to Min, who still hasn’t looked up from his phone. The manager glares at them. “He’s not allowed in my store from this day foreword. We’ll be keeping an eye on you, delinquent.”

“I’m flattered.” The boy says unenthusiastically, still crossing his arms in defiance.

The guy rings up all the items while Seonghwa and the fox boy just stare in awkward silence, Seonghwa’s hand still on his shoulder. The minute they grab their things and exit the store, the bushy-tailed boy shrugs Seonghwa’s hand off of him and shoves the assumed counterfeit bill in his direction, Seonghwa stumbling to take the money. The fox hybrid is now walking in the opposite direction from Seonghwa towards who knows where. Seonghwa rushes up to walk with him.

“Hi.”

The guy just looks quickly at Seonghwa before retreating his gaze, uninterested.

“Uh hey? Guy who just saved your ass here.” Seonghwa is briefly reminded of when he first met Wooyoung, except now the roles are switched around. Funny how fate works that way.

“And what about about it? I gave you the money in return you don’t need to follow me anymore.” The fox hybrid’s face is emotionless. His voice was also pretty deep considering his stature. 

“I just thought... I mean.” Seonghwa doesn’t want to pressure this random kid to hang out with him or anything, even if he was intriguing.

“What. You want to be friends with me or something?” The boy stops, putting the hand that isn’t carrying his bag in his pockets and raising an eyebrow at the cat hybrid. He could definitely give Seonghwa a run for his money in the “cold heartless stare” department. This kid was intense.

“I could buy you a coffee or something.”

“And why would you do that?”

“Because I empathize with what just happened.”

The fox hybrid looks Seonghwa up and down, evidently not believing him. He stops to stare at the items he bought pointedly, raising a perfectly trimmed eyebrow. “Panties? What is this, the kitty bridesmaids?”

Seonghwa blushes and scrambles to stuff the undergarments into another one of his bags, not answering the boy’s question and instead saying in return. “Maybe I’m just curious. And I do empathize with what just happened, believe me this isn’t the first store in this mall I’ve crossed off my “can go without consciously feeling like trash” list.”

The fox hybrid lets a long pause permeate the air surrounding them, finally sighing but not letting up his intense look. “Fine then, take me to coffee, can’t kill me, right?”

Seonghwa puts on his best smile and gestures behind him. “There’s a place over here.” It’s weird feeling like the enthusiastic one in the group for once. 

The fox hybrid just lets out a small puff of air Seonghwa thinks might have been laughter and says. “You know when you smile it looks like you’re suffering.”

“My friends have told me _many_ times trust me.” Seonghwa flicks an ear. 

They reach the cafe inside the mall, Seonghwa orders a strawberry cream smoothie while the fox boy gets a dalgona coffee. “My friend Wooyoung likes making those.” Seonghwa says when the dalgona is brought to their table, remembering the time the curly tailed boy came running up to Seonghwa and Yunho at the beginning of the school day with the three fancy-looking cups. 

The bushy tailed boy across from him sips at his drink. “Maybe I could try it sometime. Anyways what’s your name.”

Was that a confirmation they’d see each other again? Seonghwa didn’t know but was happy nonetheless that the intriguing boy seemed to be warming up. “My name is Seonghwa, angora hybrid, queen. I’m eighteen”

“Cute. I’m Yeosang. I’m a red fox... obviously, and I’m a beta. I’ll be seventeen.”

Seonghwa talks to Yeosang for two hours in the cafe, ordering seconds for the both of them and splitting a cheesecake. He learns that Yeosang is an activist, and likes fashion in his free time, and has a hard time staying unseen via his status as a fox hybrid. Seonghwa tells Yeosang about Wooyoung and Yunho, about how he’s studying singing. That’s when they figure out they go to the same school. Yeosang is a theatre and literature major, Seonghwa thinks it’s fitting.

The only reason they stop is because Seonghwa gets a text from his eomma asking where he is. 

“I... need to go. My parents are kinda weird about friends... they think I’m at someone’s house right now.”

“Don’t worry... I’ve gotta get an assignment done tonight anyways so... we’re on the same page.”

“Yeah. And... I’ll see you at school?”

“Do you want my number?” The fox hybrid raises an eyebrow, smiling a bit.

Seonghwa skips and hums to himself a bit on the way home when he hears a little ding come form his pocket, slipping his phone out to see Yeosang’s sent him a little tongue face. Seonghwa sends a cat smiling in return. Did he... just make a new friend? On his own? Weird year definitely. 

_______

Seonghwa checks Yunho’s contact before he goes to sleep, deciding last minute to call the boy, sitting on a park bench. No pick up. Before the incident him and the pup would spend hours talking on the phone, sometimes Wooyoung would even be on the other line with Yunho and the two would argue over wether Seonghwa sounds like a baby or an old lady over the phone. Seonghwa would laugh and tell them to rough it out some other time and he would hear probably the sound of Yunho picking Wooyoung up and swinging the smaller boy over his shoulder like a sack of rice.

Yunho’s height still surprised Seonghwa to this day. He wonders if when the pup finally sees them again he’ll be even taller. 

To tell the truth, he’s worried for his friend. What started out as a small concern over his mental health has spiraled into a myriad of thoughts that torment the cat hybrid every time he’s alone. The pup has always held out hope to the best of his abilities, this is the first time since they met Seonghwa has seen the boy really give in to life’s sorrows. He knows it’s natural, that he couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to lose his eomma. It still felt like something more was off with the pup. 

“You look tired, Hyung.” Wooyoung sounds concerned at their table during lunch. Seonghwa hasn’t touched his tuna sandwich, poking at the lettuce miserably. 

“I just... it’s hard to just sit by and not help him.”

“I miss him too, Hyung.” Wooyoung’s smiles, remembering the fun times their group has had together in the past year. “But we need to trust that he’ll get through this. We can cheer him on from a distance, it’ll take a second but... We’ll get back to old times you’ll see.”

Seonghwa murmurs an agreement, but he’s not quite as convinced. He misses his best friend.

In the middle of a vocal coaching session, Seonghwa begins to feel like he can’t take it anymore. He asks to be excused for his mental health, the teacher offering to call the nurse. Seonghwa refuses and retreats to a nearby stairwell leading up to a stage room. There’s kids walking past him, not caring to catch a glimpse at the drooping cat hybrid. 

Seonghwa buries his head in his arms and curls his tail around himself. If Yunho were here he’d wrap around him and tell him everything was going to be ok even if it wasn’t, he’d wag his tail and stay with Seonghwa all night if need be. Seonghwa misses his best friend. 

And then all of a sudden there’s a familiar deep, cynical voice. “Not how I expected us to meet again, but here we are. God, even when you’re upset you look gorgeous. Not a shocker honestly.”

Seonghwa doesn’t look up at Yeosang. He can’t. He just feels like blocking out all sound and curling in on himself, he wants to disappear.

“When you’re ready to talk I’m all ears. Take your time.” There’s not a lot of emotion in the fox hybrid’s voice, but Seonghwa can hear a slight tingle of empathy mixed somewhere in there. He still doesn’t lift his head until after a few minutes have gone by, he’s sure his eyes are puffy with tears.

Yeosang is wearing a crown of ivy around his head and is decked out in red lipstick and glittery eyeshadow. Seonghwa looks at him in disbelief, almost bringing the side of his mouth up in a smile. 

The bushy-tailed boy sighs. “Theatre stuff. Anyways, you wanna get out of here?”

Seonghwa blinks, another small tear leaving his eyes. He wipes it with the back of his hand. “Where, exactly?”

“Well I don’t own a car so we’ve got limited options here... how about the campus ice cream parlor?” 

“There’s an ice cream parlor?”

“It’s only open to seniors and upper schooling since well, they live here technically. But you’re old enough so we shouldn’t have a problem.”

Then Seonghwa gets up with Yeosang’s help, sniffling a bit more. 

Yeosang flicks his ear and throws the ivy crown in a bush as they walk across campus. “I’ll pay this time.”

“Th- thank you.” Seonghwa is still trying to compose himself before they reach their destination.

When they get to the cafe, a small one with a few seats indoors off of the school gallery, Seonghwa orders a lemonade while Yeosang gets a chocolate frappe, topped off with extra whipped cream. When they sit down, Yeosang takes one sip of his drink before asking. “You need to talk? Or should I just distract you from whatever you’re upset about .”

Seonghwa takes a few deep breaths before looking back at Yeosang. The boy is gazing at him expectantly.

“I’m just.., very worried about my friend.”

“Is this the dalgona guy or the one who you’ve known for years.”

“It’s- he’s the second one. We’ve always helped each other ever since we were kids. His father died a few months ago and he’s in the middle of grieving, I’m not sure how to support him in the proper way. He’s so... distant lately and I know he needs distance in a time like this but it’s hard to just sit and let him suffer like that.”

Seonghwa pauses, playing with his straw. “I just... I can’t help but feel like I should be doing something more about it you know? He’s always consoled me every time I needed it, he’s pushed me to open up when it’s hard and I want to give back to him. I want to be there for him like he is for me.”

Yeosang is quiet, leaning on one hand. Seonghwa thinks for a second that the fox hybrid looks bored when the boy speaks up. Seonghwa sits back and listens to what Yeosang has to say. 

“So on one hand you want the best for him and want to support your friend, on the other hand you’re worried that him choosing to isolate himself is doing more harm than good. You don’t want to overstep a boundary but you feel the need to help him.”

Seonghwa nods.

Yeosang takes a long sip from his frappe before softening his gaze just a bit. “I won’t lie and say I’ve got a solution or anything of value, Seonghwa. I’m just a caffeine-addicted loner who pretends like he knows how to act. But I can give you some advice.”

“That’s all I really need right now, so shoot.”

“If I were you, I’d give him a little nudge. Nothing too big but enough to wake him up. He might be in a slump and it’s hard to get out of those. If he says no then there’s nothing you can do about it. If he wants to reach out again then welcome him back. Simple.”

“That’s... actually pretty smart. Thanks, Yeosang.” Seonghwa smiles, just a bit but enough to tell the fox hybrid he’s feeling a bit more reassured. 

“Anytime.”

_______

That night, Seonghwa tries calling Yunho again, and this time someone picks up, to Seonghwa’s surprise. It’s Yunho’s eomma. Seonghwa asks her if Yunho is doing well and she says she’ll hand the phone to him so they can talk. There’s silence. It feels longer than it should, Seonghwa figures it’s nerves.

_“Hyung?”_

Seonghwa lets out a breath of relief. It’s the first time he’s heard Yunho in a month and more. “Hi, pup... how have you been?”

_“I’m... doing better actually. Definitely better than when you last saw me I think.”_

So he’s been getting better. Seonghwa feels like he was stupid for being so worried. Yunho always gets back up on his feet eventually, he should have known his friend would get through this. “Do you feel ready to see me and Wooyoung again?”

_“I... I think. I’m not sure. I know I’ve left you guys waiting for awhile now, huh.”_ Seonghwa can practically see the boy’s tail droop through the phone. 

“If you need more time I understand... we miss you a lot, pup. The table isn’t the same without you.”

_“Oh Hyung...You guys are the best, really. I think I can see you in the next week. We can go and get boba.”_

“Yunho you shouldn’t push yourself too much... don’t feel pressured please.”

_“Hyung. Trust me. I’m doing better. And I already feel even more better listening to your voice.”_

Seonghwa blushes up a little at that. He doesn’t know what to say.

_“You’re all weird now cause I said that, right?”_

“Hey! Was that on purpose?”

_”Just checking for see if you’ve changed at all. Newsflash you didn’t.”_ Seonghwa can hear Yunho giggling through the phone. His face brightens up and he rolls over on his bed.

“Well you’ve certainly become more of a little smartass since we last talked. Watch out or you’ll end up like Wooyoung.”

The two on them laugh and talk into the night. Seonghwa is so happy to hear his best friend he forgets entirely to tell the pup about Yeosang. He can introduce them later, maybe invite the fox hybrid to sit with them at lunch. It just feels so good to hear Yunho laugh and get excited again. He wants to see him smile and pout, giggle and cause trouble with Wooyoung and fall asleep when Seonghwa grooms him. And now he gets to see his best friend again. He feels almost euphoric.

Seonghwa and Wooyoung text with the pup all day the next day during school. Wooyoung tells them about his date recently with an alpha boy named Changbin, who tripped into the espresso machine from behind the bar at the coffee shop him and Wooyoung were at. Wooyoung concluded that the date was overall successful though so no worries. Seonghwa is just glad the pup seems to have found someone as chaotic as he is. 

On his way out of school, Seonghwa catches sight of a russet bushy tail leaving the toilets and stops him in the halls, which were mostly empty by that time. Yeosang turns around with an amused look on his face. “You seem happy.”

They end up eating together at the same campus cafe as the day before. The pair order an omurice with shrimp to share.

Seonghwa purrs a bit when he sits down. “I wanted to thank you for your advice the other day. It... really helped me out.”

“So... I assume it worked out with your friend?”

“It did! He said he might even come back to school..” Seonghwa laughs to himself, still smiling. “I was so stupid for ever being worried about him. He’s Yunho! He never loses hope...I’ve seen it...”

“You’re not stupid for being worried about your friend, Seonghwa.” The fox hybrid smiles slightly. “But really you’re looking... a _lot_ better. Back then you seemed like you were half gone or something. Now you look... I don’t know. Jubilant...animated?”

“I mean yeah... Yunho is the most...” Seonghwa thinks for a second, not sure what’s the right words to use. “He’s just... really important to me. I just can’t wait to see him again.”

“Ah stop all the cheesiness is making my ears bleed.” Yeosang jokes. 

“Come on you must have a friend who means the world to you?”

“I have one not including you and he’s just like me except with muscles. We kind of just sit and bitch about people and sometimes we play video games to spice it up. He’s also the one who holds me back when I’m angry...” Yeosang grumbles the last bit.

“You’re close?”

“Well yeah, close as I get to people these days. He’s sweet. Nice singing voice, predictable, lifts shit. He tries to cuddle me and then swears it’s a headlock not a spooning session. All good things. I never see him though, he’s always so busy...” Yeosang rants off the traits like it’s a shopping list, but it’s clear he’s close to the guy.

“Aw you guys sound like a couple of lovebirds.” Seonghwa lightly teases him, but he’s honestly amused by the thought of Yeosang being cuddly with someone. It’s so different than the fox hybrid’s cold exterior.

Yeosang sniffs incredulously. “You’re one to talk. You were literally just going on about how this Yunho guy is your soulmate or some shit.”

“Yunho and me have just known each other for so long... I guess you could call us lovebirds. He’s definitely a cuddler... one time I groomed him to sleep while he was on top of me and he didn’t wake up until 4 pm. I thought I’d starve...”

Yeosang laughs. “Cute... but seriously are you sure this guy is just a friend?”

“Wh- what do you mean?” Seonghwa says nervously, now on defensive mode.

“You’re face lights up when you talk about him, it’s like someone flipped a switch in you or something. You look all... sparkly and shit. And you guys groom each other? Don’t cats only do that to people they’re extra close to?”

Groom... each other? Right. Yeosang had no idea Yunho was a canine or he would never be saying these things. The boy must have just assumed Yunho was feline like Seonghwa since the cat hybrid had forgotten to mention his and Wooyoung’s hybrid type. Yeosang’s teasing still manages to poke at a little tender spot in Seonghwa’s emotions that he’d prefer to just squash down until it disappears. He knows the fox hybrid’s words are purely for laughs but he can’t help but feel defensive.

“I- it’s not like that. You don’t know anything at all...” Seonghwa tries not to sound too hurt but he knows it doesn’t work

“I didn’t mean to upset you. Is this... something you need to deal with on your own?”

Seonghwa sighs defeatedly. “Sorry... Yeosang I didn’t mean to kill the mood. It’s just...” The cat hybrid pauses, hesitant to reveal the truth of his all-canine friend group. “It’s just an odd topic. I hope you understand.”

Yeosang smiles in a small, assured way. “No worries. It’s not my business. If you want to talk you’ve got my number.”

Seonghwa smiles at the boy when he suddenly feels a buzz in his pocket, pulling out his phone. It’s his mamma. Seonghwa doesn’t want to open the call but just then he catches a glimpse of his mamma’s big black car pulled up near the cafe, the woman gesturing at him from the window. 

“That your mom?” Yeosang looks back at the car.

“Yeah.. I need to go. She’s been trying to get me to go to this... thing. This dinner thing for awhile now...”

“A purebred’s meetup?”

“Uh... yeah. How did you-“

“My strong friend I told you about? He’s a purebred doberman. Trust me I’ve seen it. I know.”

Seonghwa blinks in surprise at the fox hybrid, letting out a huff of relief. One less person he has to explain his parent’s elitist antics to.

There’s a honk outside. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Yeosang hands Seonghwa his lemonade.

The dark haired boy takes a glance back out at his mamma before saying. “Hey... you want to meet up before school here? Maybe study or... talk or whatever.”

“I’d like that.”

Seonghwa smiles, giving the boy a small thumbs up before hurrying out the door, the entrance bell ringing cheerfully as he goes. The cat hybrid doesn’t miss yeosang’s calm wave before he leaves.

_______

Breath in, breath out. Yunho stands at the entrance to the school building nervously, not quite so ready to face the long halls and shiny dance studios and hustling and bustling of the students again. 

Breath in. What if no one remembered him? What if he couldn’t dance the same way he used to? What if he slowed the rest of the class down? What if Seonghwa and Wooyoung were mad at him for not speaking to them for weeks? Breath out. Yunho cleared his mind, adjusting his ribbon friendship bracelet. His friends were waiting for him. He began to walk towards the building with confidence.

And just like that, Yunho went back to school for the first time in weeks. 

It’s like nothing ever happened. Yunho thinks to himself it can’t have been as long as it felt, it’s funny how time goes by so slow when you’re sad. The halls are the same, the kids the same, lockers, rooms, Wooyoung charging straight in his direction... wait.

_“Wonderboy!”_ Wooyoung topples straight into Yunho, burying his face in the taller boy’s chest and ranting out muffled nonsense, the golden haired boy stumbling to keep his balance. Yunho pats his friends back endearingly and laughs.

“Was I missed?”

Wooyoung resurfaces to punch Yunho’s chest. “Oh my fucking god shut _up_. Of course we missed you, idiot! Don’t ever leave us again.”

“You’re making it seem like I was your only source of food or something.”

“Might as well! I got seventy percent of my nutrition from movie nights with you! I feel deprived! I almost fainted in class the other day I swear...”

Yunho laughs. God he missed this. Wooyoung’s careless banter was what kept both him and Seonghwa from going insane every time they were down. The pup was like a walking energy charger to the two older boys. Yunho gives Wooyoung a squeeze back, wagging his tail repetitively and effectively managing to cover Wooyoung’s entire body with his own. The pup gasps a bit and tries in vain to hit Yunho’s shoulder. 

“I missed my other half of a whole disaster. How’s the team doing? You guys finally master that last lift?”

“Oh Yunho Yunho you naive little pup... trust me that shit was child’s play compared to what Mr Lee had up his pocket. That man is a demon, I tell you a demon! He’s having us run laps like we’re a sports team now!”

Yunho huffs with more laughter, arms still around his curly-tailed friend. The pup can’t wait for the afternoon when he can get back on the team, to actually dance for real again, move his body instead of lying in bed all day like he’s been doing. This was the right choice. He’s got his dancing, his best friends by his... wait.

“Where’s Seonghwa?”

Wooyoung blinks, confused and stops chirping at Yunho to observe the halls. “Beats me... we normally meet at the start of classes but...”

The bell rings out through the halls. Time for first period.

Yunho separates from his friend and gathers up his things. “Hey I’ll see you at lunch. Maybe Seonghwa’s out sick or something?”

“Yeah yeah that’s probably it. And hey Yunho.”

“What?”

Wooyoung pulls the pup into another hug, standing on the tips of his toes giddily. “Welcome back. For real. I know you went through some shit back there, you’re awesome for coming out in one piece.”

Yunho smiles warmly. “I had some great friends cheering for me on the other side.”

The first half of the day is normal as it ever was. His economics teacher give Yunho a pat on the back and a “good to see you again young man”. Yunho’s not sure he’s spoken to the guy his entire time here. Some of the omegas are back to staring at him again too. Didn’t miss that.

Finally lunch comes along and surprise surprise Seonghwa isn’t there. Yunho almost forgot the cat hybrid was most likely sick that day. He’s a bit disappointed, it being his first day back at school. He was looking foreword to surprising his best friend.

“I’m gonna text him, see what’s up.” Wooyoung taps away at his phone.

Yunho sighs, tail drooping a bit. 

And then, he catches sight of a slender boy with a fluffy black tail making his way through the cafeteria in their direction.

Yunho watches clearly the expression on his best friends face turn into one of joy as he comes running towards their table, not caring if he was bumping into anyone in the process. Yunho welcomes the cat hybrid with open arms, holding him like his life depended on it, breathing in Seonghwa’s scent for the first time in weeks. The older boy buried his face into Yunho’s shoulder and wraps his tail around his leg, purring almost aggressively.

“Pup...”

“Hyung...”

“I missed you.”

“I missed you more.”

And they stay like that for a good minute, both boys grateful to finally be near each other again. Yunho doesn’t feel like ever letting go. Seonghwa smells like rose petals now. Has he always smelt like that?

Wooyoung’s voice interrupts the two friends reunion. “Hey, loving the destiny friend meetup here but also who’s that guy?”

Seonghwa pulls back all of a sudden from Yunho’s grip, the pup whining a bit at the loss of contact. “Oh, I almost forgot!”

And sure enough when Yunho looks over next to his Hyung, there’s a short-ish kid with tall pointy ears rising out of his brown locks looking at Seonghwa with a slightly amused expression. Upon closer inspection Yunho can clearly see a big bushy russet tail behind the boy. A fox hybrid. Did Seonghwa make a new friend while Yunho was gone?

“Guys, this is Yeosang. I met him at the mall and we bonded over coffee. Be nice.”

Wooyoung’s eyes are instantly full of stars and Yunho is half expecting to have to hold the boy back from jumping the fox hybrid, who is looking like he’s not sure what he got himself into.

“And he’s not a hugger so no sneak attacks. That’s for you specifically, Wooyoung.”

“Ok ok that’s fine and all but _wow_ you’re cool looking...”

Yeosang looks himself over doubtfully. “I am?” The boy’s voice is deep and monotone. Very different from the loud and high-pitched Wooyoung.

“You’re wearing a graphic tee! We don’t even have the mental capacities to understand the artistic level of someone who wears graphic tees!” Wooyoung is gesturing towards the boy’s shirt which features ink splatters and a picture of a guy eating spaghetti. 

Yunho crosses his arms. “Me and Hyung did go to an art gallery once and I couldn’t figure out if this one statue was a canoe or a cow giving birth.”

“See? We’re dancers were like, movement based we don’t get that nitty gritty stuff! Which is why you can get it for us!” Yunho has no idea what Wooyoung is even talking about when the small fox hybrid walks up to him and looks Yunho up and down.

“He’s taller than I imagined... do you play basketball... or something?”

Wooyoung straight up snorted and started hitting Seonghwa in the side. “Did he just ask if Yunho plays fucking _basketball_?” The dog hybrid let’s loose a terrifying shrill of laughter while Yunho just sat there sweating awkwardly.

Wooyoung exclaimed. “This guys a comedian I like him already!”

Yeosang looked over at Seonghwa and points a thumb towards the excited pup. “Is this dalgona maker, almost burnt down a kitchen, took a rice crispies bath guy?”

Seonghwa nods. “Yunho was also a main player in the second one may I remind you.” He flicks his ear at the taller boy next to him who just blushes a bit on his ears.

Wooyoung just puts a hand nobly on his chest. “My reputation precedes me.”

“I’m terrified already.” Yeosang says, deadpan.

The fox hybrid shares a look with Seonghwa before returning both their attentions to the conversation again. Yunho can’t help but feel like his reunion with Seonghwa was cut short. He still has a lot he’d like to say to the older boy privately but now isn’t the time for that. For now, Yeosang and Wooyoung were arguing over wether or not band kids deserve rights while Seonghwa laughed on like a proud parent. Things were back to normal, finally. Yunho could breath.

“Hey...” Yunho taps Seonghwa on the shoulder, the boy turning to him, eyes still lit up with joy. Yunho would never get enough of his smile. “You wanna come over to my house tonight? Just you and me?”

Seonghwa purred strongly. “I’d like that, pup.”

_______

Yunho’s house is quieter than Seonghwa remembers, he’s not sure how he never noticed Yunho’s eomma and appa walking upstairs while they watched movies, the sounds of pots and pans when they made dinner, the warm murmurs coming from their room. It’s all a lot more subdued now. Yunho’s eomma gives Seonghwa a big hug when she sees him, Seonghwa welcoming it gladly. He can’t imagine what the woman has had to go through in the last few months. Seeing Yunho and Seonghwa together again must be a good pinch of familiarity for the household. 

“Yeosang is cool.”

Seonghwa is brought out of his thoughts. “Yeah he is... you think him and Wooyoung will destroy each other by the end of the year?”

“Nah they’ll get along great. Maybe he can help wrangle Woo in a bit more.”

“Oh no no no Yeosang is evil. Trust me he hides it better than Wooyoung does but if they team up...” Seonghwa is happy Yeosang is a part of their group now, but he’s sure the combined feisty natures of him and the curly-tailed pup will make for a whole new wave of hilarious scenarios in the future.

“What movie?” Once they’re in the basement, Yunho flops onto the couch like a shag rug, eyes soft and slightly sleepy with the evening glow. Seonghwa sits down next to him, stretching his long legs over the taller boy and leaning against the leg of the couch.

“We could do a classic like Spider-Man... or we could watch that cheesy looking superhero movie that came out while you were gone?” Seonghwa can remember the title when him and Wooyoung were in town one day, plastered on a billboard, featuring a muscled dog hybrid guy punching... a tree? And there was a girl next to him toppling over. It looked confusing and horrible and Wooyoung had begged Seonghwa to let them go watch it.

As Yunho clicked on the movie Seonghwa felt bad they were watching it without their curly-tailed friend. The end of school would be coming soon, maybe they could all watch it before summer, invite Yeosang too to initiate the boy into the group officially.

Yunho sighs as the title starts. “I think I saw an ad for this...”

“Wooyoung tried to get us to watch it while you were gone.”

“Of course he did. Remember when he tried to give me that bondage belt you guys got?

Seonghwa giggled. “You were so terrified! I wanted to tell you they were just fancy handcuffs or something...”

“I’m not that innocent Hyung. I’ve seen a lot in the last year.”

The movie is long forgotten as they talk. “Yeah since all the omegas started chasing you! You didn’t present while you were gone did you? That’ll just be more trouble for me and Wooyoung...”

“If I had presented don’t you think my weird fanclub would be yapping about it by now?”

“True... when you present it’s gonna be war in the halls. Not looking foreword to that.”

Yunho laughs. “If my biology decides to be stubborn another year then you won’t even be around to witness it!”

“What?”

“Hyung you’ll be in upper schooling in the next year... don’t you remember? I mean you’ll still be at the school but you’ll be taking all new classes... new environment...”

Seonghwa had completely forgotten. The cat hybrid had stuck back a year so he could stay with Yunho during middle school days, he hasn’t realized his age meant he’d be in the upper schooling this soon. 

“I won’t get to hang out with you guys as much...”

“Don’t worry Hyung you know Wooyoung is gonna find a way to get us lunch passes for the upper school part of campus. And it’s not like you can’t make more friends...”

Seonghwa isn’t sure about that. He knows if it was just him in the upper schooling then he would most likely be expected to mingle with the feline side of the social ring, a place Seonghwa knows nothing about. He’s been surrounded by canine-only friends for so long now that being forced into the feline clique is a scary idea to him.

“I need to keep an eye on you guys still... you’ll implode if I’m not there to keep you all under control.”

“Don’t worry Hyung, I can stop Wooyoung. Like physically I can actually stop him now.”

Seonghwa laughs. “I still haven’t gotten used to hunk Yunho, runt Yunho was like a fever dream at this point.”

“Oh my god Hyung only Wooyoung calls me a hunk. And ever since I’ve grown kids don’t tease us anymore, like hardly at all! There’s some perks...”

“I’m not saying I don’t like it... it’s just that you were so cute before!”

“And I’m not cute now?”

“Shut up... you’re always cute.” One of the main things that made Yunho so adorable was his cute cheeks, and that’s the one thing about his appearance that seems like it won’t change. The golden-haired boy still has the same cute baby fat left over from before his growth spurt on his his cheeks. Its like having the face of a puppy among all that tall broadness.

The movie ends, not as absurd as Seonghwa or Yunho thought it was going to be and the pup turns to his best friend, blinking softly. Seonghwa yawns. “That was... a disappointment to say the least.” He laughs a bit

Yunho smiles, wide and warm. “Yeah... better tell Wooyoung not to watch it.” the pup slowly crawls over to Seonghwa and moves them into a spooning position, Yunho’s back slouched against the couch and the smaller boy situated on top of him with his back facing Yunho’s chest. Yunho’s legs part to make room as Seonghwa tries to get cozy, figuring it’s their regular cuddle time.

“I missed you so much, Hyung...” Yunho murmurs deeply.

And Seonghwa is suddenly... hyper aware of his his body up against Yunho’s. It’s like every touch sends tiny electric pulses that move throughout his entire body, making the cat hybrid shiver with sensitivity. What’s going on?

He can feel the pup’s muscles flexing under him as he shifts to get comfortable and Seonghwa tries not to go too stiff but it isn’t working. At all. A horrible, subdued part of Seonghwa’s brain flashes images in the cat hybrid’s mind that make him want to squirm with guilt. He’s turning what’s supposed to be an innocent friendship into something twisted and wrong. Before Yunho stepped out of his life for a few weeks everything was fine, they cuddled and Seonghwa groomed they boy to his hearts content. What changed?

“You were always there for me when I needed you... ever since we met, huh? You’re always looking out for me, Hyung.”

“Of course...”

It’s like everything the cat hybrid has been suppressing for years now is all bubbling up in this one moment and Seonghwa can’t handle it. He can’t handle Yunho’s deep breathing, his chest moving up and down right up against him, he can’t handle the pup’s strong arms that move to wrap around Seonghwa’s front, he can’t handle Yunho’s voice in his ear when he speaks to Seonghwa so intimately.

Yunho pulls at the pink ribbon on his wrist in front of Seonghwa. “You know we should get some new versions of these... we’ve been wearing these ones for years now...”

“Y- yeah we should...” The cat hybrid shifts uncomfortably, trying to think of anything but the position him and Yunho were currently in. It must be obvious though, because Yunho lightens his hold on the cat hybrid just a bit. 

“Hyung? Are you okay?” Yunho sounds genuinely concerned.

Yeosang’s words from before about him and Yunho echo in Seonghwa’s ear. And it’s too much. 

Seonghwa jerks up in a way that definitely jars Yunho a bit, the cat hybrid’s heart beating fast and erratic. He can’t think straight.

“Hyung... is there something wrong?”

“I- I can’t... I don’t-“ Seonghwa struggles to conjure up a sentence, an excuse, anything to stop whatever’s going on right now, anything to shut up the once-little voice in his mind screaming at him to give in and lay back down, the voice of reason begging him to get out now. And it’s just getting worse and worse.

Because Yunho’s big hands are still around Seonghwa’s waist, holding him so gently and tenderly and it’s too much all at once. All the older boy’s brain can conjure up is the image of his best friend holding him like that, whispering sweet things in his ear, pressing his lips against Seonghwa’s tanned skin, moving his hands further below his navel-

Seonghwa jolts away from Yunho like he’s been burnt, yelping out desperately. “G- get away from me!”

Seonghwa breaths heavily, crouching on the couch and trying in vain to calm himself down. He looks back at Yunho for a second, eyes wide with fear and guilt.

The look on Yunho’s face is one of absolute devastation. His eyes are big and shiny now with incoming tears, his eyes searching Seonghwa for any sign of what he did wrong. He looks... just like the scared little pup Seonghwa found in the bushes that fateful day at school all those years ago. Seonghwa wants to hold him and cradle him and kiss his forehead and groom his best friend, he wants to tell him everything is ok. It’s not.

It’s not okay at all. Seonghwa’s heart beats faster and faster with each silent second. Yunho blinks back tears and tries to reach towards his best friend. “Seonghwa Hyung I-“

But in that moment, Seonghwa just gets up. He gets up off the couch and all he says before rushing up the stairs of the basement and out the door is a tortured, quiet. “I’m sorry.”

Seonghwa runs all the way home, not stopping once. And when he finally reaches his front door he rushes to his room, curls up and cries to himself pitifully the entire night. Yunho’s soft voice still echoes in his mind, filling up his heart, spilling out in the form of more tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cliffhanger.... one more chapter in the high school arc!! did you all enjoy yeosang’s debut in the story? the scene in the mall was definitely inspired by the scene in zootopia if you were wondering...
> 
> thank you all for the kudos in the previous chapters. as always if you think there’s something that needs tagging pls don’t hesitate to tell me!
> 
> thank you for reading! <3


	6. Showcase

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all so much for over 100 kudos!!! i’ve so been loving writing this fic so far so thank you for all the feedback <3
> 
> sixth chapter is here! i hope you all enjoy!

“Seonghwa Hyung I-“

Yunho can’t believe what’s happening. He can’t begin to understand what’s going on right now.

“I’m sorry.” That’s the last thing that comes out of his best friend’s mouth before he’s rushing up the stairs to the basement. There’s a small vibration through the house as Seonghwa presumably shuts the front door behind him. Yunho sits in complete silence, bewildered to what just occurred. He can’t believe what’s happening. Yunho can feel the familiar welling up of tears in his eyes. He’s crying. He hasn’t done that since before his appa died.

What did he do wrong? That’s the first thing Yunho asks himself when Seonghwa’s gone. What did the pup do that could garner such a horrifying reaction out of his best friend in the whole world? Was it the touching, the cuddling that triggered it? If so, has Seonghwa always felt uncomfortable being that close to the dog hybrid? Why did it never seem that way before? Why did he look at Yunho like he was terrified of the boy? 

The expression on the cat hybrid’s face was one that Yunho felt he could never get out of his mind. In all their years of being best friends, Yunho has never once seen Seonghwa look as scared as he did just moments ago. The dog hybrid scared him.

Yunho can’t breath.

Has he been abusing Seonghwa using his privilege as a dog hybrid for years without even knowing it?

Has Seonghwa felt pressured into being his friend all this time?

The cat hybrid’s parents were always so insistent that Yunho would take advantage of Seonghwa at some point in time. His best friend has never once listened to them, never believed Yunho would do anything of the sort. Maybe they somehow managed to convince him of it while Yunho was gone... Was their prediction true after all? And Yunho never even realized he was doing it?

Yunho can’t fathom the idea. He yells into the couch, not wanting to wake his eomma. Yunho’s face is streaming with tears at this point, his vision blurry, curled up on the couch in the same place where Seonghwa left him. He stays like that for the rest of the night.

_______

Seonghwa isn’t at school the next day, even on the last week of his senior year it’s strange he got a pass not to come. Wooyoung says the older boy texted him that morning that he had a bad fever and wouldn’t be there for the last few days of school. Yunho didn’t know what to say, just nodded at his younger friend and told him he hoped Seonghwa would recover soon. He did mean it, just not for the reasons Wooyoung thought. 

At lunch break he really couldn’t keep his cool anymore. When Seonghwa was sad or uncomfortable it was pretty easy to spot right away, but when Yunho was upset he could mask it over for a good few hours before he started to feel ingenuine or guilty. It was impressive considering how emotional he is, wasn’t a talent per say but it had gotten him out of a lot of long strenuous talks with his parents before. He had always felt bad about dropping his problems onto other people. He felt it was selfish. 

But now, in this moment, with Yunho taking small bites of his noodles while Wooyoung yapped on about his latest date with Changbin like everything was fine with the world, the dog hybrid felt like exploding.

“We need to talk after school.”

Wooyoung pauses, floppy ears peeking up a bit. “Is something wrong? Oh Yunho... are you tearing up?”

Tearing up? He must have been without realizing. Yunho wipes a small bit of moisture from his face and blinks to clear his vision. “It’s... you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s about Seonghwa.”

“We can get boba then.”

Several hours later, the two dog hybrids are sat facing each other in the back corner of the boba cafe, waiting for their orders to be done. Wooyoung breaks the silence. “Ok so... what exactly is wrong with Hyung? I mean I assume he isn’t sick since we came here to talk about him...”

Yunho regains his courage before responding. “He’s not sick. He’s... upset with me.”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know. I have no clue, no idea whatsoever... he didn’t give me an explanation.”

The look on Wooyoung’s face is one of disbelief. “Yunho what the fuck? What happened? Was this last night when you guys were at your house or...”

“It was last night... it was so weird.” Yunho breaks off. Thinking about what happened too much made him get pretty emotional. He begins to break up a bit.

Wooyoung puts a hand over Yunho’s. “Hey... it’s ok, wonderboy. We’re all in this together right? Take your time.” The curly-tailed boy gives him a small smile. Yunho is eternally grateful in that moment that Wooyoung came into their lives when he did. 

“Thank you... Wooyoung it really means a lot that you’re here.” Yunho takes a deep breath before continuing. He can do this. “That night... everything was perfectly normal. We watched this movie about... a superhero who hates the environment. Or something. We started talking halfway through just about... life. Like we always do. I was so happy I was with Seonghwa again.”

Yunho pauses, considering his words. “I know I say this a lot but... he soothes me, calms me down in a way I can’t really replicate. Just being near him is kind of reassurance to my mind that things are okay, that I’m safe.”

The taller boy continues. “When the movie was over, I rolled over to cuddle with him. Just a regular spooning session, I mean we do those all the time right?”

“If I don’t go a day without cuddling one of you I feel touch-deprived.” Wooyoung chipped in.

“Right? I thought it was completely fine. But then when I started to talk to him again he got all... stiff and strange. And when I asked him if he was ok, he jerked up all of a sudden. And then he left altogether...”

Yunho took another deep breath. “He told me to get away from him, Wooyoung you should have seen the look on his face. He was terrified of me! And then he said “I’m sorry” and ran away...”

Yunho was tearing up just from thinking about it. He had been trying to avoid confronting the incident in his mind all day now, and finally getting it out in the open was a breath of fresh air, even if it caused him to break down. 

Wooyoung was visibly shocked, his face as clueless as Yunho’s had been the night Seonghwa freaked out. He opened his mouth several times before closing it, probably not sure how to react. The smaller boy shakes his head and purses his lips. “I don’t know.”

Yunho looks down at their table before nodding at his friend. “I don’t know either.”

“I mean the best thing I can do is try to get some answers... I’ll reach out to him.”

“Would you? He’s not picking up any of my calls... it’s scary honestly. Wooyoung do you think I’m...” Yunho breaks up, more tears running down his cheeks. “Do you think I was... harassing him? And I didn’t know?”

“Now that.” Wooyoung smirks up a little. “Is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth, Jeong Yunho.” He laughs a bit, sadly. “You’re the last person in the world who would hurt someone, and trust me when I say that is not the cause of what happened. Seonghwa wouldn’t think that a day in his life. I’m sure of it.”

“You think so?”

“I’m positive.” They get their drinks right then and Wooyoung takes a sip out of his mango yakult before saying. “I’ll contact him tonight, Hyung. We need to get to the bottom of this.”

“Yeah... yeah we do. It’s just...”

“What, Yun?”

“Seonghwa he.... I’ve never seen him look scared actually, except sometimes when he goes on trips with his parents but even then, it was nowhere near the expression I saw on his face last night. He looked... horrified.”

Wooyoung held both Yunho’s hands in his own, a cute sight since Wooyoung’s hands were so much smaller than the taller pup’s. “Yunho I promise you from the depths of my being that there is no way in _hell_ that Seonghwa was afraid of you. At least in the way you think.”

Yunho took Wooyoung’s word for it, and the two departed. Yunho tries calling Seonghwa again that night, and he keeps the beeping of the unanswered line going for longer than he should, the repetitive sound echoing in his thoughts. Even if Wooyoung tried to reassure him, the pup can’t help but have his mind go to the darkest possible thought. What if Seonghwa never wanted to see him again? And he’d never know why. That idea made Yunho scared beyond belief. He wanted to see Seonghwa again. He wanted to watch his face light up with laughter when Yunho did something stupid or silly, feel the older boy purring while they cuddled, he wanted to fall asleep as he groomed him. 

Seonghwa made him feel safe, but did Yunho make the cat hybrid feel that way? He wasn’t sure anymore.

The next day, Wooyoung comes over to Yunho’s house. He says he managed to talk to Seonghwa last night, that when the boy had answered the phone he sounded like he had been crying on the the other line. Seonghwa had told Wooyoung he needed some space from them, that it was all a him problem, it had nothing to do with Wooyoung or Yunho. 

“He specifically wanted me to tell you that you didn’t do anything wrong, and not to blame yourself for his issues. He told me he... that he would never want you to worry about him. He just needs some time.”

Yunho didn’t know what to do with that information. “Did he tell you why he was upset?”

“No he didn’t... I think we...” The curly tailed pup rubs Yunho’s back comfortingly. “I think we need to sit this one out, wonderboy. He sounded... so serious. And hurt. I think he’s dealing with some bad mental stuff.”

“But I can’t just...” Yunho trails off. He doesn’t know what to think. He just got back to being around his friends again and now Seonghwa drops out of their lives? What the hell was going on. He didn’t know if he was angry or upset or both. 

“Breath, Yunho.”

Yunho does breath this time, deeply in and out of his stomach. Remember what Seonghwa did when Yunho needed space. “When I needed space, he sat back and let me deal with my problems as I asked him. I need to do the same.”

“He’ll come around eventually. He loves you too much to be away from you forever. You should have seen how mopey he was when you were never at school.”

Yunho logged that into his mind and promised himself it would never leave his thoughts. Seonghwa loved him and would never take space without good reason. They would handle this. He could handle this. And Yunho would welcome back his best friend with open arms when he was ready.

_______

_“Seonghwa, what’s wrong.”_

_“Don’t talk to me!”_

_“You’re in the middle of the theater backroom I can’t just ignore that you’re here.”_

_“Just go away and leave me alone...”_

...

_“No. I don’t think I will. Get up, we’re going to my house.”_

...

...

_“I’m a fucking freak, Yeosang... they were right about me all along. I’m so sick and twisted and I tried to force that shit onto him. I’m a monster.”_

_“You’re not a monster, Seonghwa. Look at me. Tell me what happened.”_

...

_“I think I... like him.”_

_“Who?”_

_“Yunho. I have feelings for Yunho.”_

...

_“Oh shit.”_

_“Now you see? I’m messed up. I’m a fucking freak, a fucking canine fetish freak, Yeosang. And I can’t get rid of it. I tried to force my ugly feelings onto my best fucking friend. I ruined everything.”_

...

_“I don’t think you’re a freak, Seonghwa.”_

_“I don’t believe you.”_

_“Well then don’t believe me. You know I never lie, I don’t sugarcoat situations. This is no exception.”_

_______

Operation take your mind off of Seonghwa and his sexy bod (Wooyoung made up that last part) was put into action the week after the incident was cleared up, and Wooyoung couldn’t have prepared better for the occasion. 

“It can be like... omegas night! Except it’s pup’s night since you’re not an omega... yet. And it’s for like, an indefinite amount of time until Seonghwa gets his shit together, not just one night!” Wooyoung manages to make anything sound exciting. 

Yunho is hesitant about it. He doesn’t want Seonghwa to think the two pups are having the time of their lives while he suffers alone. The group doesn’t feel right, isn’t complete without the black cat hybrid. Seonghwa’s nagging, teasing Wooyoung, sweet purring when he talked to Yunho, reeling in both the pups when things got out of hand... 

Seonghwa’s somehow managed to avoid the two even when living so near to each other. Sometimes Yunho will see him at the boba place with Yeosang but he doesn’t try to talk to him. He wants Seonghwa to know Yunho respects his space, especially since he can’t shake the look Seonghwa gave him that night.

A few days after operation take your mind off Seonghwa was enacted, Wooyoung barrels into Yunho one day at his house, the taller pup managing to catch himself before he toppled over in the doorway, Wooyoung in tow.

“Whatever it is, I hope it’s worth all the energy it took to almost make me fall.”

“Oh you better believe it. I got us into the summer dance club!”

Yunho perks his ears up, confused. “That’s awesome, Woo! But wait, there’s a dance club?”

“Like an extra practice thing! We can brush up on our skills and you can take your mind off of you-know-who.”

“You can say Hyung’s name, he’s not Voldemort you know...” Yunho giggles at his friend.

“Ok whatever, the point is! Our first club meeting is today so everyone say thank you Jung Wooyoung for being the best. Yes yes I know I’m amazing haha you don’t need to tell me.” Wooyoung bows at the nonexistent crowd which is Yunho.

The golden-haired boy rolls his eyes at his goofy friend, excited as he is to meet some new kids. Dancing has always been therapeutic for Yunho, it seemed to rush out any negative thoughts he had during the day and replace them with feelings of self-accomplishment. 

That afternoon, Yunho gives Wooyoung a piggyback ride over to the dance studio where their first meeting with the summer dance club would be. When Yunho looks through the clear glass of the studio, he can see it now has a small table at the side with snacks and drinks.

The head of the club, a Balinese cat hybrid named Hyunjin who looks friendly enough to the two pups considering he’s a feline, tells them they’re working on a performance for the Horizon academy summer showcase, that it will go on as extra credit. They can use the studio space to work on their own projects or prepare for the summer showcase. Yunho and Wooyoung are delighted at the idea of a performance, so they choose to work on the group project. 

The next hour is filled brainstorming group positions, sorting out rotations and lifts and so on and so forth. Everyone also steps foreword to show off their moves in the hopes they might get to be center. Yunho wows everyone with a dance cover of pick it up by famous dex. Wooyoung grabs him afterwards and pats him on the chest saying he’ll get center spot for sure. Yunho’s ears turn red with embarrassment.

Now they’re going over fundamental steps in a sample choreography, the whole group trying to move in tandem with each other and get their flow in sync. Yunho’s gaze briefly wanders over to a guy in the back of the studio who seems to be struggling. 

The boy is probably around the same height as Yunho and looks to be a wolf hybrid with his bushy gray tail and pointy ears. He keeps on stepping at the wrong time during a quick part and cursing at himself under his breath. When the group session is over and they move into individual practice, Yunho starts shuffling over to the back of the studio until he’s standing next to him.

“It’s a quick shift of the heels, watch.” Yunho redoes the move for him, the guy nodding and redoing the move himself, a bit slower than Yunho did but he got all the angles down this time. “Is that it?

“Yes! And now you just go into the rest of the steps like this. One, two three, one two three. See?” 

The wolf hybrid follows along with Yunho, careful with his steps and after a few more repetitions he has it down to a a T. Yunho wags his tail happily and holds his hand up to high-five the boy, who turns red just a bit before returning the high-five. “That was great! You’ll get center position in no time.”

The wolf hybrid laughs nervously. “Not before you get it. You’re like a prodigy or something... Who are you?”

Yunho smiles warmly at the boy. “I’m Jeong Yunho. We haven’t met before, are you new? What’s your name?”

“Mingi. Song Mingi, I’m a beta.... and yeah I’m new. I transferred a month ago from a dance school far away from here.”

“Wow. Was that hard..” Yunho is genuinely curious. This new guy seemed pretty interesting, and Yunho’s never actually talked to a wolf hybrid who didn’t hate his guts.

“I dealt with it. My family moves a lot as it is so... you get used to the constant back and forth after awhile.” Mingi hesitates before asking. “Are... you unpresented or...”

“Yeah. Stubborn biology or something. Hopefully I don’t turn out to be an anomaly.”

“Heh yeah... sorry about asking I just... don’t meet many unpresented canines. Thanks for helping me out though by the way. Really.” Mingi gives Yunho a nervous, toothy smile. Yunho thinks it’s quite sweet, charmed by the nervous wolf hybrid.

“No problem. I had to... get help a lot from my best friend when I was younger so... I guess helping people is rooted in my system now, huh.” Yunho inwardly pinches himself. Don’t think about Seonghwa! “You got any friends coming to the school?” Yunho asks as he looks around at the rest of the club. Wooyoung is being chatty with a group of beta and omega girls. He looks preoccupied enough.

“I’m.. kind of a loner. I think most kids are afraid of me honestly.” Mingi looks embarrassed. 

“What, why? You’re so nice though... why would anyone be afraid of you...” Why _would_ anyone be afraid of Mingi. No offense to the wolf hybrid but he actually looks pretty meek despite his tall frame. He seems so sweet though, so Yunho doesn’t understand the fear factor here.

“You know the whole... wild hybrids are dangerous thing. It’s that and my height I think. I’ve never even yelled at someone before so it’s purely based on looks.”

And there it is. Its no surprise really, Yunho has to watch for years now as people around him are judged because of their appearance, their placement, their hybrid type and so on and so forth. The golden haired pup knows full well that if he had never made friends with Seonghwa he wouldn’t have gotten half the amount of teasing and harassment he received in middle school, but that Seonghwa would probably still get judged being a queen. Yunho often wonders if he had never made friends with Seonghwa and Wooyoung would he still know the struggles they’ve had to go through, would he have a different perspective on life? Sure he may have gotten a few comments about being a mutt, but those only come from purebreds. 

“I don’t think you’re scary... I mean you probably could be if you wanted to. I didn’t know that... often happened with wild hybrids.”

“It... goes under the radar. I think fox hybrids get the worst of it but... I didn’t want this to get so serious I’m sorry...” Mingi’s tail droops between his legs and he glances down at the ground, embarrassed.

Yunho smiles sweetly at the wolf hybrid. “No worries... you know if you need some company... me and my friend are always doing stuff after club meetings. You could join us if you wanted?”

Mingi visibly gets excited, his pointy ears perking up. “Really? You mean that?”

“Of course.”

Hyunjin claps twice and adjourns the club meeting right then and there, and the students all begin to filter out of the dance studio, chatting quietly amongst themselves. 

“I... guess I’ll see you tomorrow then, Mingi.”

Mingi nods shyly, but Yunho can tell the wolf hybrid is really excited at the thought of having new friends. “Yeah. Yeah I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Yunho and Wooyoung are walking from the school to the taller pup’s house, the two of them talking on and on about how even in the dance club the purebreds had to try and make themselves stand out from the rest as special. Wooyoung was beefing with a purebred Somali cat hybrid named Jaemin, who had also apparently tried to trip him on the way out. Yunho didn’t know how credible that was. It’s funny nonetheless.

“But what about _you_ huh?” Wooyoung makes a suggestive face at the taller pup, to which Yunho looks at him innocently.

“What? You look like you’re implying something, are you implying something? Wooyoung...” Yunho draws out the smaller pup’s name warningly and looks at him pointedly.

“I’m just saying... you and that wolf guy were getting kinda friendly...” 

“Wait, Mingi? I was just helping him get the steps right!” Yunho protests.

Wooyoung nudges the golden-haired boy, wagging his curly tail. “Yunhooooo. You don’t even realize what you’re doing to the all those poor girls and boys who want to bang you, huh.”

Yunho goes bright red and covers his face with his hands, sputtering. “Great. Now I look like a tomato...”

“No... you look like Mingi the entire time you were talking to him!”

Yunho picks up Wooyoung and flops him over his shoulder, still red in the ears, the curly tailed boy yelping and battering Yunho’s back in a vain attempt to get down. “Yunho! Yunho let me down!”

“Not until we get home.”

“Yunho.... come on you can’t carry me all the way there!”

“Just relax and enjoy the ride.”

The boy hmphs and rolls his eyes, Yunho laughing at his friends embarrassment.

The next day, Mingi goes with Wooyoung and Yunho to the boba cafe, and sits where Seonghwa always sat. Yunho tries not to think about it too much. Mingi is timid at first, but eventually after a few days of regular hangouts with Wooyoung and Yunho, the wolf hybrid begins to open up, revealing a more or less nervous but fun-loving and sweet personality. Wooyoung doesn’t stop teasing Yunho about him though, in fact the older pup thinks it must have gotten more frequent since Mingi began to enter their friend group.

_______

_“You know there’s always the possibility he likes you back.”_

_“How many feline and canine couples have you seen in the whole time you’ve been alive, Yeosang?”_

...

_“Zero. Exactly zero. We’d be outcasted from society, my parents would disown me in a second...I’d never try and force that kind of relationship onto him. Besides, he’s not... he doesn’t feel the same. Trust me.”_

_______

The first time Yunho invites Mingi over to his house, the wolf hybrid shows up at his door with a comb, a blow drier, and a fat tube of red hair dye in his hands. Wooyoung looks like his eyes might burst out of his skull with how excited he is.

“Are you sure this will turn out ok?” Yunho asks Mingi as he snaps a pair of rubber gloves on, flinching as they sting his skin.

Wooyoung runs back into the room holding a ratty towel and positions it behind Mingi’s head to catch any bits of dye. “It’ll look awesome!”

“That’s what I’m hoping anyways..” Mingi runs a bit of water through his light gray locks to prepare it for the dying process. 

Yunho’s bathroom looks like a murder might have taken place in it after they’re done, and Mingi looks thoroughly mortified as to what in the world just happened.

Mingi goes to the club meeting the next day with scarlet red hair, and Yunho’s sure the boy couldn’t look any more nervous. “You look cool, Mingi. It goes well with the gray ears.”

“You think so?” The wolf hybrid blushes.

_______

_“I’m not jealous.”_

_“You are jealous and it’s painfully obvious, Seonghwa. You don’t even know this guy.”_

_“Exactly, Yeosang. Have you seen the way Yunho looks at him?”_

_“You’ll only make yourself suffer more if you think too much about it. Don’t you want to get rid of your feelings?”_

_“I do, I really do. It’s just... so hard seeing him so... enamored by that guy.”_

_“You don’t even know if he likes him that way.”_

...

...

_“You need to see him again.”_

_“How?”_

_“You’re going to get it together, and pull through, that’s how. You two need each other, you’re best friends. Are you going to let that drift away?”_

_______

Yunho tries calling Seonghwa for the first time the day before the showcase. No pick up. 

The golden-haired boy has been punching Seonghwa to the back of his mind lately, not wanting to be distracted especially since they were on their last rehearsals. That doesn’t mean the rejection hurts any less. A small part of Yunho was hoping the older boy could be there to watch their showcase performance. 

Even so, Wooyoung comforts Yunho backstage, a hand on his back. “I’m sure Hyung would be proud of you. He’d be proud of both of us.”

The two pups share a smile before walking out onto the academies outdoor stage, all decked out in flowing white outfits. Yunho can see their leader, Hyunjin’s tail flicking back and forth in anticipation as he introduced their team.

The song they’re dancing to was composed by one of the music and producing majors in the school, one of Hyunjin’s acquaintances. It’s called ‘Aurora’ and Yunho thinks the guy who created it might have to be an idol producer or something, because the song itself is not only beautiful, but their team has crafted a pretty good dance to go along with it.

Yunho takes the center for part of the time, sharing the stage with several other talented members of the team. The music rings in Yunho’s ears, and he can’t see the crowd in front of him anymore. All he can see is a clear image of himself, dancing with everyone around him. He can feel every movement running through him like water, every motion like a wave.

And just like it began, it’s over. And there’s cheers all around.

Yunho breaths in, out, in, out. They did it. And the crowd is going wild. Everyone is chanting “Horizon Academy” loud and clear for their dance team and it feels like Yunho is on top of the world, like he could fly out over everyone and into the sunset. 

And as Yunho’s eyes roam across the crowd, passing over his eomma, he thinks for a second he sees a familiar dark-haired pointy-eared boy standing next to her, cheering along for him with her. But before he can clear his vision and confirm, everyone in the dance team is hurrying offstage, Wooyoung grabbing Yunho’s hand before he can protest.

“Alright everyone let’s wrap it up, you all did amazing.” Hyunjin tells the dance team backstage, all the dancers huffing in relief that the showcase went perfectly. 

Yunho gathers his belongings, water bottle, clothes, sweatshirt before searching the bustle for Wooyoung, wondering where the curly tailed boy could have gone off to. He intended on searching for Seonghwa right after the showcase, eager to make some sort of amends with his best friend. He begins to call out for Wooyoung, wanting to get a move on but he’s stopped in his tracks halfway down the hall

“Hey.”

There’s a voice behind Yunho, a careful, gentle hand on his shoulder. The pup knows fully well who it is and when he turns around, there’s Seonghwa. He’s wearing a soft-looking cardigan with a little cherry embroidered in the corner. Yunho thinks he looks stunning, not for the outfit, but for the big, wide smile on his face.

“Are we good? Are you ready to come back...”

Seonghwa doesn’t tear up, just smiles impossibly wider. “Oh pup... I’ve _been_ ready.”

There’s a soft pause, Yunho is hesitant to hug Seonghwa, still not sure if physical contact had anything to do with why his best friend left in the first place. He wants so badly to embrace the cat hybrid, hold him tightly so the boy never leaves them again. 

“Can I hug you?” Seonghwa is the one who asks the question, head tilting to the side a bit, eyes hopeful and longing. Yunho missed his friend’s cute quirks like that.

And then the two are embracing, so close Yunho feels he might explode from the contact. The cat hybrid doesn’t wrap his tail around Yunho’s leg, doesn’t bury his face in his neck like they always did but it’s a hug. A good one. And that’s the most he’s gotten from his best friend the whole summer. Seonghwa smells like rose petals still, new to Yunho as it had been before. He loves it, it makes him feel like he’s floating lazily in a pool.

“Bring it in!” Wooyoung comes in like a collision course at the two best friends, almost toppling over and onto the ground. The three friends stay like that, all holding each other in the middle of the hall, laughing in tandem, just happy to finally be reunited as a trio again. 

For a split second, everything in the world seems normal again.

That evening, Yunho invites Seonghwa, Wooyoung, Mingi and Yeosang all to the boba cafe for a celebratory evening of drinks and pastries galore. 

Yeosang and Wooyoung are back to their regularly scheduled banter immediately, barking on about celebrities who they’re clearly playing on separate teams for and Yeosang ends up calling the poor cat hybrid waitress over to give her opinion on the subject. All while Mingi giggles shyly, still getting adjusted to new faces.

Meanwhile, Yunho pulls Seonghwa over to a table near the back gently, not missing the way Yeosang peeks his head over to make eye contact with the cat hybrid before they sit down. Yunho figures Yeosang had probably Seonghwa’s confidant with how much he saw them together. When the two of them settle across from each other at the high table, Yunho pushes softly.

“Do we... need to talk?”

A sad and regretful look passes over Seonghwa’s features. Yunho almost wishes he hadn’t said anything... but if he didn’t, then there would still be so many unanswered questions. Yunho doesn’t want anything to come between the two of them anymore. And he definitely doesn’t want to just continue on like nothing happened. He needs to know if his best friend is okay.

“Pup... I just.” Seonghwa looks at Yunho wistfully. He blinks and it’s gone. The taller boy is half sure he imagined it. 

“I... you don’t need to. Please I only-“

“No.”

Yunho perks his ears up a bit. The cafe scene around them suddenly seems so... quiet and in the background. Like him and Seonghwa are the only ones in the room.

“I... I owe you an explanation. I can’t say everything but... I’ll be as truthful as I possibly can.” Seonghwa looks up at Yunho with hope, hope that the boy might... forgive him? Yunho was thinking that he had been the one in the wrong this whole time. Has Seonghwa thought it the opposite?

Seonghwa takes a deep, shuddering breath in, then out, Yunho blinking expectantly. “I... had a realization. There was... something wrong with me. Mentally. And I couldn’t get rid of it.”

“Like... like depression?” Yunho asked cautiously. He didn’t want Seonghwa to feel pressured into telling him.

“I... no. No not like that at all. It was.... a horrible thing. And it would hurt not only me but also you, my parents, anyone around me. There didn’t seem like there was anything I could do about it.” Seonghwa looked pained when he spoke, like every word had to be choked out.

“And so... you left.” Yunho murmured. Seonghwa was being incredibly vague with his words. But Yunho could tell his best friend was not lying in the slightest. So no matter how glossed over or generalized his words were, they were truthful and real. That was what mattered.

“I... didn’t want to hurt you.”

“You would never hurt me, Hyung.” He wouldn’t. Yunho was sure it.

“If I had been selfish... I could.” Seonghwa looks on regretfully... in regret of what? Yunho couldn’t begin to wonder.

“But you’re not selfish. You’ve given so much of your comfort to stay friends with me. That’s not selfish, Hyung.”

“It’s more selfish than you realize.”

“I don’t believe that for a second.” Yunho held Seonghwa’s hands like they might have been made of porcelain, rubbing the middle of the cat hybrid’s palms with his thumbs softly. “If you’re selfish for being friends with me than that makes me selfish too.”

Seonghwa looks like he might start crying. He tries speaking several times only to get choked up. He finally gets out a. “Yunho...” 

Yunho notices the way the cat hybrid’s fluffy tail is slowly curling around Yunho’s leg like he always used to do. He has the urge to reach out and pet Seonghwa’s ears but he resists, still hesitant to go right back to cuddling the older boy.

Seonghwa blinks back his incoming tears. “You’re so... good. You know that? You’re almost too good. Too good for... all the shit that goes on around you.”

Yunho smiles so warm and gentle at the older boy. “Hyung... being your friend may have been the most eye opening experiences I’ve ever been through... but the reality of this world isn’t the only thing I learned.” Yunho watches Seonghwa break up just a bit again. He can tell it’s a positive reaction though, as Seonghwa’s face is now pulled into an even bigger smile.

The cat hybrid sniffs a little as Yunho continues. “To go through all the bullshit you put up with all your life... and come out in one piece. Not only that but to be such a kind, strong, compassionate person like you...” Yunho pauses. “Part of why I try and do good is because you inspire me, Hyung.”

“Silly...” Seonghwa wipes his face with his shirt. “Don’t sell yourself short, Yunho...” He looks on at the dog hybrid with affection. “I mean... the only reason I’m even here right now is because you’ve taught me how to open up, how to talk when I need to. That’s... I could never repay you for that...” 

“Well then maybe we help each other.” Yunho said strongly, Seonghwa having any form of protest for that. “And maybe... life sucks sometimes and we can something about it.”

Seonghwa giggles sweetly. “You’re so cheesy still... is this a talk on how ‘life sucks but it’s better with you’?” Seonghwa sounds slightly teasing when he says the last bit, and Yunho laughs back with him.

“Yes... what can I say? And if you can’t tell me the details of what happened then you can’t tell me... and there’s nothing wrong with that. We don’t have to share every last detail of our lives with each other, Hyung. Don’t feel guilty.”

Seonghwa gives Yunho another pained look and responds. “But... even so I never want to shut off from you like that... that wasn’t fair to you. I should have explained myself more beforehand. I let you down. I’m so sorry.”

Yunho whimpers a bit. The last thing he wants Seonghwa to feel is guilt, whatever the older boy had been dealing with must have been a toll on him for sure, he didn’t want the extra weight on Seonghwa’s shoulders. But it’s undeniable that cutting Yunho off like that hurt him in a time when he was still recovering from loss. 

“If being your friend comes with hurdles and difficulties, then I’m more than willing to push through them. I forgive you.” Yunho closes his hand around Seonghwa’s, the cat hybrid’s slender fingers pressing against his. Seonghwa looks so, so tired but so happy.

“Thank you pup...” The dim, warm lighting of the cafe reflects off Seonghwa’s eyes and makes his skin look golden as the older boy sighs in relief. Yunho wishes he could take a picture.

“Now then...” Seonghwa purrs. “It’s about time you introduced me to your new friend?”

Yunho laughs, him and Seonghwa making their way back to the table where their friends are. Yunho can still feel waves of relief washing over him the entire night.

The two had been through rough waters, both internal and external and somehow, the cat and pup had come out in one piece. Yunho thought that was quite the accomplishment. 

Yunho never asks Seonghwa what happened exactly, why the boy was away from him for those past few weeks, what triggered the incident in the first place. He figures none of it matters now. Because now, he has his best friend back. For good this time. 

And that’s all Yunho really wanted in the whole wide world.

_______

_“You still have feelings for him.”_

_“Fantastic job, Sherlock. What will you uncover next?”_

_“I’m serious. If you continue harboring feelings for Yunho, you should tell him the truth.”_

_“I just need time to get rid of them. Meanwhile... I’m never leaving him like that again.”_

_“Don’t say I didn’t tell you so...”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that concludes the high school arc... this was merely the first hurdle in yunhwa’s relationship, so the story is really just getting started 
> 
> let’s hope Seonghwa can manage those darn feelings... and that Yunho’s presentation comes soon wink wink
> 
> thank you for reading! <3


	7. October

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter seven!! more of a filler if i’m being honest... plus some interesting development on our dear main pup’s part... but that just means there’s more excitement up ahead so stay tuned!
> 
> hope you enjoy reading!

October inauguration is a bitch. That’s what Seonghwa has been told every day counting down to the dreaded date when the cat hybrid would officially be in the upper schooling system. Yeosang and Wooyoung cornered the older boy on a shopping trip to the mall, sitting down right in front of the shaved ice bar and lecturing him on the ins and outs of college life. Seonghwa isn’t sure why he even puts up with it, considering the two canines weren’t even in college themselves. 

Seonghwa tells Yunho later on that day on their way back to the dog hybrid’s house. “I was right! I said to you if those two ever team up, it’ll be the end of all order in this world as we know it.”

“Hyung, I’m not sure being told how to navigate college by a couple of kids is the end of the world.” Yunho laughs warmly.

Seonghwa smiles, narrowing his eyebrows and nudging his taller friend playfully. “You’re _supposed_ to be on my side, pup...”

Yunho smiles gently at Seonghwa before softly tapping the cat hybrid’s hand with his own, giving him a questioning look, a silent request to hold hands. Seonghwa gives Yunho a friendly nudge with his shoulder in return, taking up the dog hybrid’s hand in his own as they continued down the street.

Seonghwa knows Yunho probably blames himself for the cat hybrid panicking and running away that night, no matter how many times Seonghwa has told him it wasn’t his fault in the slightest. Ever since then, Yunho is much more cautious about physical contact with his best friend, always asking before holding hands and hugging, which Seonghwa thinks is a good thing to practice overall but it’s also quite frustrating at times. 

Accidentally harming or scaring people is one of Yunho’s biggest fears, especially since most strangers just assume he’s an alpha at first glance, so Seonghwa is glad to let the dog hybrid take baby steps.

Still though, every time Yunho flinches back or catches himself trying to lean into Seonghwa or ask for head pats the cat hybrid can’t help but want to reach foreword and cradle the boy, tell him again and again he did nothing wrong. He could tell the pup was on edge just by being near him.

October inauguration is a bitch. Just with more people than Seonghwa expected. The moment the cat hybrid steps foot into the “hive” as they call it he’s instantly confused as to where he’s supposed to be, what time he’s supposed to be there, they gave him a schedule for fucks sake and Seonghwa _knows_ the classes he signed up for but he can’t seem to find the right buildings for the life of him. The cat hybrid is pretty sure he looks like a confused tourist right now as he frantically looks at the campus map and then back at the plaques on the doors.

Seonghwa is in the middle of navigating yet another bustling hall when he catches sight of a girl with big white tiger ears, long snowy hair and tall heels handing out brochures to passing students. The girl looks official enough so Seonghwa walks up next to her, clutching a few books to his chest nervously. 

“Um... I’m sorry if I’m bothering you but... could you tell me where the blue room is?” Seonghwa isn’t sure the girl heard him because she keeps on talking animatedly to a leopard hybrid about when the next showcase would be taking place. Seonghwa is about to repeat his question when she suddenly jerks her attention over to the cat hybrid, his tail puffing up a bit in surprise.

“Would you like a brochure?” The girl says, customer service smile plastered on her face.

“I just wanted to know where the blue room is? So if you could.. would you... point me in the right direction?” Seonghwa is sure he sounds like a scared kitten.

“You have no idea where you are, do you.” The animated smile is dropped, replaced by an incredulous look. 

“I mean... no but you don’t have to rub it in.” 

“Not rubbing it in, just pointing out the obvious. You’re kinda cute... I can show you your classes myself if you’d like.”

“Really?” Seonghwa says, preferring to overlook the fact she just called him cute. It’s was probably meant in a friendly way.

The girl does show him where the blue room is, but doesn’t stop there, also showing Seonghwa where his main vocal lessons and musical theory classes were, all with a skip in her step and plenty of offhand tips about how to properly navigate the maze of buildings, which kids to avoid, the best teachers etcetera etcetera. Along the way there are plenty of students who say hi to the tiger hybrid, at least one for each building they go in. Seonghwa figures she must be pretty popular.

Every now and then the girl will wink at him or linger her hand a bit longer than usual on his shoulder and Seonghwa feels his heart do a tiny skip involuntarily. She _is_ really pretty after all, so he feels that reaction is justified in a sense.

“Aannd here’s the blue room. Hope you have a good first day!”

The blue room is a smaller building with a giant blue door, and a blue arrow on the sidewalk pointing towards said blue door. Seonghwa feels like an idiot. The cat hybrid turns to the girl to thank her but it seems she’s already making her way back to the common building where he first saw her, and Seonghwa is already slightly late for his first class so he reluctantly gives the girl one last glance before entering the building.

Seonghwa was telling Yunho, Wooyoung and Yeosang about her that afternoon at the boba cafe, the three canines listening intently as he relays his first day to them.

“You should have asked her out.” Yeosang muses, twitching a pointy ear and twirling his boba straw in a manner that makes him appear like he’s bored out of his mind, but Seonghwa knows better at this point.

“I barely even talked to her! And I’m not going to just ask out someone purely based on looks...” 

“Hyung’s got a point...” Wooyoung says. Seonghwa would have thought he would be the first one jumping to get Seonghwa a date. “Who knows? Maybe she’s a known serial killer.”

“You need a break, Seonghwa. A fresh face in your life is the right way to go.” Seonghwa knows for a fact Yeosang is just trying to aid him in getting over Yunho. No matter how much he tries to push his best friend out the romance zone it hasn’t been working at all. And though Seonghwa is confident he won’t freak out on his the pup again he’s still tender around the whole dating subject.

“Well _I_ for one think you should have gone for it, Hyung. If she’s as pretty as you say... you two would match well.” Yunho gives the older boy an encouraging smile. Seonghwa then and there regrets ever telling them about the girl. He knows his best friend means well but... it hurts more than it should to hear him so eager for Seonghwa to start mingling with possible dates.

“She was a tiger, guys. That lowers the chance of her saying yes anyways.”

“True... you know how stingy wilds are about dating within the same type...” Wooyoung raises his eyebrows, clearly speaking from experience. Seonghwa still cringes when he thinks of the disaster that was the pup trying to ask out a red wolf hybrid before he started dating Changbin. It had ended with a lot of finger pointing and laughing, Wooyoung swearing murder on that guy and his entire group of friends in the end.

Seonghwa continues to deflect Yeosang’s encouragement to ask the girl out the rest of the conversation, neatly moving the topic on to Yunho’s “love note” he got in his locker the other day, which has basically asked him to perform a strip tease for his next showcase. It was weird, creepy and low key concerning but the group laughed it off, Wooyoung assuring Yunho that if anyone tried to stalk him he’d become the older boy’s personal body guard. 

Things seemed like they were slotting back into place, slowly but surely. If only Seonghwa could ease Yunho’s mind about the incident once and for all.

_______

Near Halloween, Wooyoung gets a job as a barista at the boba cafe. Granted, his boyfriend knew the owner and pulled some strings to make sure he got the job. Anyhow, the pup wags his curled tail delightedly when the a ding sounds and Yunho pulls up with the whole crew, Seonghwa, Mingi and Yeosang, walking through the door.

“You guys! Welcome to Mi Casa... Casa De Wooyoung if you please.” He throws his hands up into the air, presenting the cafe to his friends with enthusiasm.

“Congratulations on the job.” Yeosang smiles, hands in the pockets of his sweater.

“Congrats, Woo!” Yunho somehow manages to pick Wooyoung up from behind the bar to which the smaller pup laughs and allows himself to be pulled over the bar top. Yunho can feel the boy’s curly tail wagging repetitively against the shiny surface.

“Don’t you think ‘Casa De Wooyoung’ is reaching? You’re an employee.” Seonghwa points out teasingly, effectively setting off the excited pup.

“Says you. Once this pup climbs the ladder of fame this place will be covered in branding by yours truly.” Wooyoung retracts himself from Yunho’s hold, sitting down on the bar.

“How are you going to do that...?” Yeosang leans on the bar and raises an eyebrow at Wooyoung.

“Buying out the owners, obviously. Would help if I wasn’t broke...” Wooyoung crosses his arms.

“You’re gonna set the kitchen on fire before you get the chance, genius.” Yeosang smiles, the the jab clearly lighthearted.

Wooyoung smirks at that. “No drinks for Yeosang.”

“What? You can’t do that!” Yeosang retorts.

“Uh, _yeah I can_.” Wooyoung pulls out a document from below the register, pointing out a little text with a red circle draw around it that clearly states: yes, he can indeed refuse service to anyone he pleases.

“Fuck you.. this is _discrimination_ , smartass.” Yeosang comically mocks offense, swishing his bushy tail.

Mingi walks up behind Yeosang, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You can share with me, Yeosang, I don’t mind.”

“Mingi you are too good for this world, you too Yunho.” Yeosang glances back at the other tall pup who just smiles back warmly. “Unlike _some_ canines in the room.”

Wooyoung just smiles and sticks out his tongue at Yeosang, who returns the gesture.

“Okay okay, guys lets settle this. How about you don’t serve Yeosang, you don’t serve me.” Seonghwa returns Wooyoung’s smug smile, pushing past Yunho to lean up against the bar.

“You think I care? Okay change of plan, you guys can order _but_ it’s gotta be something you’ve never tried before. Spice things up! Actually that goes for all of you.” Wooyoung points towards the two tall pups in the back to which Yunho sobs and Mingi just looks unfazed.

“Not that attached to my mint chocolate slush anyways...” The wolf hybrid shrugs

“I’ll just get another strawberry flavor.” Seonghwa twitches an ear.

Yeosang is too busy drawing little dicks on Wooyoung’s name tag which the pup seemingly doesn’t mind as he just glances down and gives Yeosang a laugh, the fox hybrid giggling back at him.

“Woo, I NEED my cream milk tea! It’s my lifeblood... pleaaase... my bestest little friend?” Yunho gets down on one knee and puts his hands up in mercy, giving the curly-tailed boy big yearning puppy eyes. It must work, he thinks. Because Wooyoung just makes a sad pitiful face at the kneeling pup and exclaims.

“Okay pause. Yunho gets his cream milk.”

_”What?!_ ” Yeosang is alerted.

And their playful arguing continues. Seonghwa just rolls his eyes and orders a strawberry tea drink from the other barista at the register while Wooyoung is giving Yunho a kiss on the cheek to which Yeosang groans and continues to shake Wooyoung’s shoulders, protesting and Mingi laughs, leaning on Yunho.

You could say their group is pretty tight at the moment.

_______

The next day at school, Yunho marches though the halls with a big white transcript in his hand, ears perked up in excitement as he makes his way towards the office. Mingi trails after him, clutching the straps of his backpack and glancing around at the unfamiliar walls of the student support office.

“Just imagine, Mingi... a dorm room together! We could invite everyone over and get snacks and stuff...”

“Do they... allow people from off-campus into the dorms? Actually either way-“

“Wooyoung and Yeosang are _gonna_ figure out how to worm their way in.” Yunho finished Mingi’s sentence.

Mingi laughs. “Okay I just thought of Wooyoung trying to scale the dorm fences... that’d be hilarious.” 

“Seonghwa could probably get his way in too... pull some strings.”

Mingi twitches an ear, looking at Yunho curiously. “Shouldn’t Seonghwa have a dorm room himself by now? He’s like, in upper schooling. From what I heard if I was him I’d be out of the house in a second.”

“His parents want him to stay home... unsurprisingly.” Seonghwa hadn’t even asked at the beginning of his senior year before his parents had given him a long lecture on why he couldn’t go to the dorms, managing to tie the subject into harassment and canines in the process. Yunho was honestly impressed at how they managed to bring that subject into every limit they put on the older boy.

“That’s too bad... I was looking foreword to having him as a neighbor.” Mingi’s tail droops a bit.

“We just need to invite him over more often, right?” Yunho and Mingi are called into the office then, the two tall canines coming face to face with a very short middle aged woman with little black tufts coming off of her small ears. Lynx hybrid it looks like. Yunho sets his and Mingi’s dorm registry papers onto the desk, ears perked up and face giddy. 

The lady just looks both of them up and down, looking very much like she would rather be anywhere but here. “Seniors?”

“Yes, ma’am. We’d like to apply to move into the dorms. Please.” Yunho adds at the end for good measure. Mingi gives the lady a nervous grin behind him.

Said lady adjusts the glasses at the tip of her nose poshly and begins to looks over the papers, pausing every now and then to glance back at the two excited pups in front of her. “And you two would like to request to be roommates?”

“Yes. We would.” Yunho nods.

“Right... I’m afraid that isn’t possible, boys.”

Yunho and Mingi both loose the positive expressions, exclaiming at the same time. “What?!”

“This says oh your papers you’re a domestic, is this correct?” The question is a useless one. Yunho’s soft floppy golden ears definitely didn’t look the likes of a wolf or anything.

“I mean yeah but-“

“Domestics and Wilds can’t room together. Academy rules. You’ll have to find another person to room with or we can match you up with someone.” She directs the last part of her words at Mingi, handing the papers back to him instead of Yunho to which the red-haired boy gives her a confused expression.

“What about Yunho?”

The lady returns her attention back to the pup, seemingly unamused. “You’re not presented yet, boy. We can’t match you to someone of your placement if you don’t have one.” The last part is said snidely, as if Yunho had been trying to play a joke on her.

The pup’s expression falls, opening his mouth to try and reason with the lady before Mingi begins to usher him outside the office. Yunho reluctantly lets himself be led, tail and ears drooping.

“It’s okay, Yun...” Mingi says when they exit the hall, moving to sit down on a bench outside the door. “Maybe if you’re an omega you can room with Wooyoung! Then we’ll still be in the same dorm.”

Yunho sighs. “Yeah I guess.” Yunho knows he shouldn’t mope, but him and Mingi had been planning their senior year dorm room out for a few weeks now, not remembering to take into account all the regulations on the canine dorm rooms. Yunho figures it’s for the best. He knew omegas didn’t want to room with alphas after for safety reasons but separating domestics and wilds? That was too far. 

“They probably wouldn’t notice if we snuck down the hall to each other’s rooms, huh.”

“The way you moonwalk? Not a chance.” Mingi giggled.

Yunho laughs back at the wolf hybrid, putting an arm around his shoulder and pulling him closer as they walk down the halls. He feels Mingi stiffen up a bit under his touch but relax shortly after. The boy turns red when Yunho smiles at him, Yunho thinks Mingi must have eaten something spicy beforehand.

_______

Yunho and Seonghwa are walking to the pup’s house from school when Seonghwa brings up his parents. Apparently they’ve got a new suitor on the line for the cat hybrid, who’s parents own a yacht club, and Seonghwa’s mamma couldn’t be more thrilled to marry the boy off.

“I think she’s sold on the whole ‘fertility before twenty five’ thing that’s been spreading around. Honestly pup if I don’t come to classes one day, just know it’s probably because my parents shipped me a one-way plane ticket to the coast to rub elbows with yachts and company.”

“I’ll make sure to phone the airlines.” Yunho laughs. Still though, the pup can’t help but be concerned. “Are you positive you aren’t scared, Hyung?”

“Trust me, pup. This isn’t the first time they’ve ‘seriously considered’ marrying me off.”

“It isn’t...?” Yunho knew that Seonghwa was forced into luncheons and dinner parties all the time, constantly pushing for their perfect little queen to finally meet the tom of his dreams. But he hadn’t realized they were getting to be so adamant about the subject.

“It’s happened ever since I was in senior year... they go off to the Association, mamma meets a new purebred angora family who coincidentally have a young eligible tom as a kid. Then they come back here and we argue and then eomma tries to convince her to let it rest. It’s a process.” 

They reach Yunho’s house in the evening.

The golden haired boy’s eomma made tteokbokki, Seonghwa’s favorite dish of hers. His eomma always made sure to prepare the meal whenever the cat hybrid was over. Dinner at his house with the cat hybrid always reminded Yunho of when they were little kids. Seonghwa would always scarf it down like he was starving, young Yunho had wondered if his parents fed him at all.

Once they’re down in the basement, bellies stuffed and brains tired, Seonghwa stretches onto the couch and purrs.

“You and Mingi seem to be getting close.”

Yunho smiles at that. He had been slightly afraid Mingi’s addition to their group would cause some disturbance, especially since he entered the group while Seonghwa was dealing with stuff. Seonghwa and Mingi didn’t talk all that much either. “He’s so sweet isn’t he? And isn’t his smile just the cutest thing? I love it when his eyes scrunch up like that...”

Seonghwa gives him a look that Yunho very much recognizes. It’s the same look Wooyoung would give him every time Mingi was in his vicinity. Oh no.

“Hyung I _know_ what you’re about to say and trust me, Wooyoung has probably said it a million times already. Me and Mingi are just friends.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything, pup.” Seonghwa laughs. Yunho figures his ears must be reddening up. “I’m just glad you made a friend while I was gone that’s all. Mingi seems very sweet.”

Yunho sighs in relief. “Ok good cause you have no idea. Wooyoung has been relentless like every time Mingi so much as breaths in my direction he give me ‘the look’ and I’m just standing there wondering what I did.” Yunho describes, Seonghwa laughing even more on the couch, looking over to Yunho’s tv.

“You got a gaming console... like an actual one.” The cat hybrid’s ears perk up when his eyes land on the shiny black box and the two handheld controllers on the shelf under the tv. Yunho has gotten it himself with Wooyoung at a pawn shop in the mall. 

“You wanna play?” Yunho picks up the two controllers and gives one to Seonghwa, who looks hesitant to take up the pup’s offer.

“I’m not good at these kind of games...”

“I can teach you!” Yunho plops onto the couch beside Seonghwa and clicks into a one v one fighter game, pointing out all the little colored buttons and how to get all the move combos to the cat hybrid. Seonghwa didn’t seem to take much of it in but kept nodding his head.

Yunho definitely wasn’t expecting the big “player 2 victory” in bloody letters displayed across the screen. 

“Did you cheat?” 

“No! How the hell would I cheat, Yunho I hardly know how to play!”

This leads to more arguing, until they begin another round and Yunho looks over at Seonghwa’s controller only to realize he’s been spamming buttons the entire time. And destroying Yunho in the process. Inevitably, the cat hybrid takes another victory, Yunho groaning into the couch as the older boy giggles.

Seonghwa’s face lights up in the glow of the neon-tinted game, and Yunho thinks it’s not often he sees the boy smile like this anymore, wide and toothy and oh so sweet. Maybe the last time he saw it was from before Yunho’s appa died. Seonghwa seemed so stressed and worried about... so many things these days. Yunho knew he himself was dealing with the aftermath of loss and the fear of presenting and all that shit. Everything seemed like it was constantly spiraling for the both of them. They needed a break. Not just a break... a change. Of scenery. 

“You wanna get out of here, Hyung?” Yunho says, mind fuzzy from tiredness. It sounds like some romantic escapade from a drama. 

“What?” Seonghwa exclaims. “Yunho it’s three am... none of the cafes are open or anything.” The older boy gives Yunho and amused and doubtful look, tilting his head to the side.

“We don’t need to go to a cafe!” Yunho smiles. “Let’s go. Now. We can just... roam, Hyung! It’ll be great!” Yunho gestures towards the stairs to the basement, indicating that they could walk downtown or go to the park at this hour. It’d be fun and footloose and Yunho just really _really_ wanted to get out of this basement.

Seonghwa looks hesitant. “Pup, it’s not safe to go out in town at this hour.” Okay, right. Seonghwa was a queen, and being outside our night was a risk even if Yunho was there as a creep evader. The pup still persisted.

“We can... we can go to the park! Hyung, pleaaase... it’ll be fun! We can stargaze!”

Seonghwa’s ears perked up at the word stargaze. 

No more than a minute later the two hybrids were stumbling out Yunho’s front door, Seonghwa putting his finger up to his lips and shushing the golden-haired boy’s ceaseless giggling as they tried to shut the door as quietly as they could behind them, running out to the suburban sidewalk in the direction of the park. Seonghwa’s tail is puffed up in wariness. Yunho can tell the cat hybrid is still nervous even if he agreed to go. He keeps close to Yunho who looks positively thrilled.

“You’ll be okay, Hyung. We’re almost at the park.” 

The light posts are dimmer at this hour, and the park looks very daunting and cold with all the trees and grass. Even so Yunho skips through the gates, Seonghwa hurrying along after him. They find a spot to sit at on a bench with no trees in the way, so they had a clear view of the night sky.

Yunho is shivering a bit in the chilly autumn air, adjusting his scarf. The days were definitely getting colder since Inauguration Day. 

“I’m glad you’re friends with Mingi, pup. He seems... steady. Stable I guess. That’s something you need.”

“Are you saying you aren’t stable, Hyung?”

“My parents are psychos and I’m outcasted from most feline groups in the school, pup.” Seonghwa tilts his head, raising an eyebrow.

“You’re more stable than I could ever hope to be.” Yunho continues. “Anyhow, Mingi only makes me more hopeful I’ll become a beta..”

Seonghwa sighs. “Yunho, no matter what you turn out to be you’re still you. Even if you’re an alpha or an omega it’s not like you’re personality is going to do a full one-eighty.”

“That’s what they make it seem like! I’ve been reading articles, Hyung they say you get the urge to fuck _everything_ and then if you’re an omega, you want to _be_ fucked by everything. Beta life seems like the way to go...”

“Don’t betas get ruts and heats too?”

“Mingi says he just felt somewhat hornier for like, two days and that was it.”

Seonghwa just rolls his eyes but doesn’t try and argue anymore.

Yunho continues. “Besides what if when I present I’ll suddenly like, be pressured into playing sports...” Yunho shudders a bit. The pup has never been that skilled when it comes to anything involving a ball flying through the air besides soccer. And even then he never actively participated in the sport. “Wait, or if I’m an omega people will want me to cook and garden and stuff... Hyung I suck at cooking!”

Seonghwa laughs. Yunho knows he must be remembering the time him and Wooyoung almost burnt down the kitchen while boiling a pot of water. It was sad, honestly how bad the two were at the culinary arts. Seonghwa more than made up for it though. “I’ve always wondered that... You think I like cooking and cleaning and shit because society pressured me into those roles?”

Yunho laughs. “Hyung even if you weren’t a queen I’m sure you’d still love cooking...”

“I’d wear my little apron and get publicly shamed even if I was a tom.” Seonghwa agrees, Yunho laughing a bit, imagining Seonghwa in a cute little apron. Sometimes he wishes he could come over to Seonghwa’s house and watch his best friend in his element. The cat hybrid certainly brings some fantastic dishes when he comes to Yunho’s.

Their laughing dies down a bit as the two pause for a second, staring up at the sky. It’s pitch black, only the faint outlines of clouds here and there. Not a star in sight.

“There aren’t any stars, you dummy.” Seonghwa points out.

“I don’t care... it’s nice to look at... clouds. Big dark gray clouds that cover up everything around them...” Yunho knows he sounds stupid. “Oh! Look you can see the moon, Hyung!” Yunho points at the small shining sliver at the lower part of the sky which is being slowly revealed as the puffs of gray move along. It’s just a crescent tonight, Yunho thinks it matches the atmosphere.

“The moon looks so lonely though... I was expecting stars.” Seonghwa murmurs, eyes big and glassy as he stares up.

“That’s... sad. Hyung, the moon is all bright and shiny, not lonely.”

“I’ve been hanging out with Yeosang too much... when I ask him what shapes he sees in the clouds he just says ‘cotton candy’ every time and then drops the conversation. It’s honestly kinda sad.” The older boy trails off, glancing back at the dark sky. Yunho tries to make shapes in the clouds but they’re too muddled for him to see clearly. They really picked the worst night to go on a spontaneous star-gaze.

“Actually... now that we’re here I got something for you...” Seonghwa is reaching into his pocket. The older boy pulls out a little blue ribbon. It’s soft and shiny and the perfect shade of baby blue. Seonghwa ties it around Yunho’s wrist carefully, removing the previous pink one.

“Figured it was about time we switched them out, right?” He says as he finishes tying a little bow near his pulse, double knotting it so the bracelet won’t come off. He reveals his own blue ribbon on his wrist and places it next to Yunho’s.

Yunho runs his fingers over the little ribbon. “Hyung... this is...” Yunho wants to hug Seonghwa, he wants to hug him so much just like when they were little kids, just like when they first put on their matching ribbons at the beginning of high school. But he doesn’t. “This is so sweet...” Yunho smiles. “You _and_ your ribbons...”

“It’s a part of our brand now, pup. No getting rid of the bows anytime soon.” Seonghwa purrs.

There really are no stars in the sky tonight, only clouds... and the daunting hollow shape of the moon, flowing out over the trees in a crescent. Yunho turns to look at Seonghwa’s big eyes and thinks they must be twinkling enough to make up for it. So big and wide and curious... 

“You’re staring, pup.”

“Am I?” Yunho honestly hasn’t noticed. Fuck. Maybe this was why Wooyoung called him a heartbreaker. Had he been leading people on unknowingly? How many kids thought he was flirting with them...

Seonghwa just turns away and giggles. “Silly... do I have sauce on my face or something?”

“No.” Yunho says, looking back at the cat hybrid’s twinkling eyes. “Not at all.”

And Yunho doesn’t quite know why, but his heart does a little loopy thing when Seonghwa giggles at him and looks back up at the moon. “And you call me weird...” 

The cat hybrid cozies up into his fleece jacket, curling his tail to wrap around himself, leaning up against Yunho close enough to garner some body heat from the taller boy who relaxes in return. Seonghwa’s little ears are flicking to and fro as he settles, looking like he might fall asleep. He looks so tiny. And Yunho kind of finds that so adorable.

Maybe, just maybe if they had been younger... maybe they would be cuddled up against each other by now. Tails twined, close as they could be. Close as they could get. With no eyes watching them, no people judging as they walked past, sneering at the sight of two boys, spitting ugly remarks, making claims. They could just be. And they could. Right now. Maybe it wasn’t the same, but it was still good. Being with Seonghwa never ceased to make Yunho feel like he was... safe from the rest of the world. If only it was just them and no one else, then maybe he wouldn’t feel so guilty curling nearer to the smaller boy. 

Yunho’s heart beats faster when he watches Seonghwa sigh and let his eyes shut, dark eyelashes fanning out on the older boy’s cheeks. The dog hybrid briefly wonders if the cold is getting his adrenaline up. Must be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter is an action-packed one, we will be meeting some new faces so i hope you all are excited!!
> 
> the pacing is going to be slowing down a bit as well
> 
> thank you for reading!!! <3


	8. New Year’s Resolutions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter eight is here! hope you’re excited, it’s an action-packed one! 
> 
> also i think i should give a small warning there is a scene involving being followed by a stranger in public, in a creepy stalker way. i know that’s triggering for many people so just a heads up, hope everyone stays safe <3
> 
> as well as that, spoiler warning but there’s a small sexy scene in this chapter, no smut tho
> 
> that being said, holy shit this chapter was SO FUN to write... i hope you all enjoy it <3

Wooyoung’s birthday party is spent among neon graffiti and glow in the dark duct tape. Yunho had never played laser tag before, nor had he ever particularly wanted to, but he was quickly beginning to see why people loved it. The first round ended with Wooyoung’s team (Yunho and Mingi) in victory, while Seonghwa’s team (Yeosang and Changbin) weren’t doing so hot.

“You’ve got the two aces on your team! It’s unfair!” Seonghwa protests, gesturing at Yunho and Mingi.

“If you’re talking about muscles then by that logic Changbin should be annihilating us all by now. Also they’re _strong_ but they’re also two trees with ‘hit me’ signs all over them in the middle of the battlefield so I don’t know why you’re complaining.” Wooyoung crosses his arms.

It’s a fun time all the same, the whole crew getting ice cream in town afterwards, Yunho sitting between Mingi and Seonghwa, who both seem to keep getting bits of ice cream on the corners of their mouths and Yunho seems to be their assigned mouth-wiper. Seonghwa mumbles something about being able to do it himself while Mingi just giggles. Yeosang and Wooyoung decided to share an extra sundae which was a bad decision, the fox hybrid ending up drawing a line in fudge to make sure Wooyoung stayed on his side of the bowl. 

By the end of the night, Changbin and Wooyoung have retreated the bathrooms to make out and Yunho is feeling pretty drained, opting to walk Seonghwa home through town.

“Are you sure, pup?”

“We can go through the mall, Hyung! Maybe get a few things on the way home.”

Seonghwa seems to always be up for a shopping spree, so the cat hybrid agrees, hurrying off with Yunho to the mall entrance down the street. It’s near closing time so the hustle and bustle is at its peak, people trying to get their shopping in at the last minute. 

Seonghwa finds himself preoccupied with the hair accessories section, slipping little clips into Yunho’s soft blonde hair and giving him a shiny ribbon choker around his neck. When the cat hybrid turns him to look into the display mirror, Yunho thinks he looks adorable, all the little flowers and bows dotting his hair, lining his floppy ears, almost like a harajuku fashion model. 

“So colorful...” Yunho remarks, moving his head to the side for different angles. Seonghwa smiles sweetly, taking a picture of his best friend.

“I’m gonna go try on some things, pup. You _better_ not take that shit off.” Seonghwa points and raises an eyebrow at him, hurrying off towards the changing rooms. Yunho smiles as he watches his friend. He should really go shopping with Seonghwa more often.

Yunho turns his attention back to a row of soft multicolored sweaters, beginning to scan the selection. The dog hybrid quite loved cozy, loose clothes that he could curl up in. Especially since the weather was so cold lately.

He’s about to go and look for Seonghwa when Yunho notices a guy... staring at him? From in between a rack of blouses. Wearing a black jacket, hands in his pockets. And when Yunho looks at him a second too long, the guy rushes off in the other direction. Strange. The guy looked like he’d been watching Yunho for awhile... maybe he thought he was a store clerk or something? Somehow though, the pup got a darker vibe from the guy, like he was trying to size Yunho up somehow.

Either way, the golden-haired boy continues on over to the changing rooms but before he can reach them, Seonghwa came straight around the rack of jeans right in front of him with a girl, holding his shoulder by his side. Seonghwa looks disturbed, ears flattened, eyes wide and fearful... what? What happened?

“Seonghwa? Who... what’s happening I thought you were-“

“Yunho come on. Pup we need to to go. Now.” Seonghwa looks at him seriously.

“What? Why?” Yunho frantically tries to get the clips and bows out of his hair, discarding them on any table they pass. “Who are you?” 

The girl walking Seonghwa has snowy-white hair and big round tiger ears. She’s got an arm still wound around the cat hybrid comfortingly. “There’s a creepy man following us...”

Yunho goes stiff as they exit the store, navigating through a large crowd probably as a way of losing the two men. He had seen that one guy looking at him through the clothing rack. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time. What had happened to Seonghwa at the dressing rooms? Had someone tried to hurt him in any way... 

Several blocks down the road from the mall, the guy must have lost interest because there’s no sign of them anywhere. Yunho lets out a breath of relief when they stop next to a tall building, leaning against the brick wall. But nothing had even happened to him? Why was Seonghwa so shaken up? The older boy’s fluffy tail was all spiky, curled in at his side, while the girl held him close, trying to calm him down. Yunho wants to join her, wrap his arms around Seonghwa to tell him he’s safe but... he seems preoccupied with the girl, who is now looking over at Yunho confusedly.

Seonghwa must realize the girl is looking at Yunho with unfamiliarity because he tries to recover himself, wanting to introduce him, puffed tail flattening out slightly. 

“This is...” Seonghwa looks like he’s considering his words. Ah, Yunho thinks. He probably didn’t want to weird the girl out. Either way Seonghwa chooses the harder route, telling her the truth. “This is my best friend.”

“I’m Dahyun... I’m sorry we had to meet this way...” She holds out her hand in greeting, smiling sweetly, and most importantly not seeming to be weirded out whatsoever. This must have been the tiger girl his best friend was talking about. Seonghwa had been right about her being very pretty, the ivory hair and stripy ears going very well with her flowery dress and fluffy jacket. 

Yunho smiles back at her, taking up her small soft hand in his own, voice still a bit shaky and confused. “I’m Yunho... You and Seonghwa... have met before, right?”

“I showed him around classes on the first day.” She nudges Seonghwa’s shoulder playfully. “Didn’t think you’d be on someone’s hit list, eh cutie?”

It seems to be meant in a friendly way, but Yunho doesn’t miss the how Seonghwa gets shy and blushy after that.Yunho would find it cute if they hadn’t just been through such a concerning experience. Funny. The dog hybrid always thought he was the only one Seonghwa acted that way around. Guess he was wrong?

“I guess.. I’m more of a public target then I thought... but that was... I’ve never had to...” Seonghwa trails off, the cat hybrid looking thoroughly disturbed, curling in on himself slightly. Yunho wants to hold his hand so badly right now, but he doesn’t, retracting the idea from his thoughts. He didn’t want to shake up his best friend more than he already was.

“From one queen to another... if you can’t keep constant vigilance, it’s best to stick together when it comes to night outings. I hope no one gives you any more trouble, hun.” Dahyun’s words are comforting, rubbing the boy’s shoulder soothingly and purring slightly to calm him down. “I’ve gotta catch up with my friends... it was nice seeing you again, even under these... circumstances.” She shrugs. Seonghwa looks up at her, worried.

“You’ll be fine though?”

“I’ll be fine.” Dahyun smiles at him apologetically, pressing her hand up against him and stopping Seonghwa from trying to come with her. “I’ll see you in classes, Seonghwa.” She waves at both of them. And with that, the tiger hybrid departs, walking confidently back down the street towards the mall, heels clicking on the pavement. Seonghwa looks on as she leaves, blinking to himself and shuddering a bit, sitting down against the building.

Yunho sits down next to him. “Hyung... are you okay? Like, really okay?” Yunho doesn’t try to hold Seonghwa’s hand, but tilts his head down to look his best friend in the eye. Seonghwa is speechless.

“Can- can you tell me what happened?” Seonghwa’s tail is puffed up again, flitting back and forth anxiously. He gives Yunho an upset look but doesn’t talk. Yunho wants to get them home. And quickly. The streets didn’t seem safe anymore. The taller boy stands up, gently urging Seonghwa to do the same with a touch on his arm. The cat hybrid complies, standing up fully and holding onto Yunho’s arm like a small child.

The walk to Yunho’s house is cold, colder than before as the wind and slight snow was beginning to settle in by now. Yunho kept glancing behind him, nervous that the guy might still be watching them, jerking his head back at any shadow or dark figure in the night.

Seonghwa tells Yunho what happened over a pot of hot tea, all curled up in a blanket burrito in the pup’s basement.“I was in the changing rooms, just trying on stuff like usual... I opened the door to go find you and then this... I looked in the mirror on the hall and there was just- this guy... a lion hybrid it looked like. He was looking at me from across the hall, like straight at me. I don’t know if he wanted to scare me or not but-“ 

Seonghwa exhales, shuddering a bit. “He was just watching... and he followed me. Across the store, and no one noticed...”

“Did... did he try to..?” Yunho was careful with his words, not wanting to force Seonghwa into telling him. It was pretty clear what the dog hybrid was asking.

“No... no he didn’t. It was just- fuck it was _scary_.” The cat hybrid’s eyes are shrouded over, probably reliving what happened in his head. “And then I ran into Dahyun and it was just-“ Seonghwa shakes his head. Yunho lets Seonghwa leans against him, rocking back and forth softly.

“Do-“ Seonghwa breaks off. “Do you think it was what I was wearing?”

“Hyung...” Yunho can’t even comprehend that being the reason behind their stalkers. Seonghwa was wearing a puffy pink down coat and a low-hanging blouse that exposed a bit of his chest that day. Yunho thought Seonghwa looked like a cute little pink and white cloud in it, the last thing he wanted was for Seonghwa to start blaming what happened on himself or his fashion choices.

“The last person to blame for this is you, Hyung.” Yunho swallows. “If I hadn’t suggested going home though the mall this never would have happened in the first place.” He can’t help but feel guilty really. He should have at least been keeping an eye on his best friend for fucks sake... Yunho knew full and well it wasn’t safe for him to be alone at those hours.

“Yunho, stop it... if anything I should have been paying more attention...”

“ _I_ should have been paying attention, Hyung I _saw_ him! He was staring at me from between the racks!” Yunho exclaims.

Seonghwa looks at Yunho, narrowing his eyes. “He... he was... he was looking at you too?” The cat hybrid’s voice is confused. Yunho just nods at him, eyes big and watery. Fuck, now wasn’t the time to have a breakdown. The taller boy cursed his tear ducts.

“So it was because of... us being in public together... that’s why it happened?” Seonghwa sounds almost angry, definitely shocked. In all the time they’ve gotten shit fro being friends, it has always been up front and never nearly this fear-inducing.

“I don’t know, Hyung.” He really didn’t. You never could tell a person’s motives when you were scared. The thought of them just being in public together inducing a situation as disturbing as that... it made Yunho fear not for his life but for Seonghwa’s. 

_______

With the incident still fresh in their minds, the new year reigns in closer and closer. Seonghwa finds himself checking behind his back more often and he knows it’s just paranoia half the time but... what might have happened if Dahyun hadn’t been there to warn him? Seonghwa doesn’t like to think of that possibility. He can only hope things will improve, between him and Yunho as well as with them and the rest of the world, coming into the new year.

And what better way to kick off the new year than a party. Because that’s just what happens, and from some rich kid purebred Lynx guy no less.

Choi San is supposed to be some sort of “big deal” in the feline social circle, or at least that’s what every cat Seonghwa walks past the day before the party is muttering about. Dahyun, Seonghwa’s sole feline acquaintance and the one who invites him in the first place confirms that indeed, Choi San is a big deal. Seonghwa is surprised at how little he really knows about the so-called “populars” of Horizon Academy.

Apparently even Wooyoung knows about him, and he’s a canine. The pup scolds the older boy for not being “in touch with his culture” as if his culture entailed being learned in school celebrities. 

When Seonghwa nervously asks Dahyun in musical theory if any canines were invited to the party, she assures him not to worry. According to Dahyun, Choi San purposefully invites canine students over to his house _just_ in an effort to piss off his parents. Great.

On the night of the party, Seonghwa and Mingi had insisted on dressing Yunho up for the occasion, Mingi bringing over some of his clothing items to Yunho’s house since Seonghwa’s were too small for the pup’s frame. They had a mini fashion show, mixing and matching different looks for the taller boy before finally settling on a soft multicolored loose sweater that goes off his shoulder just a bit, along with light blue jeans, all items Mingi had graciously supplied. 

Seonghwa made sure to bring along a baby blue ribbon choker he fastened nearly around Yunho’s neck, the finishing touch. Overall, the look was definitely more on the feminine side, and since Yunho was always assumed to be an alpha, it was the riskier outfit all things considered. The pup didn’t seem to mind though, and Seonghwa and Mingi _definitely_ didn’t mind the look on him.

“You look _so_ pretty.” Seonghwa purrs.

“And handsome...” Mingi drawled. Seonghwa thinks the wolf hybrid might start drooling with how enamored he looks by Yunho. Right. That little voice in the back of Seonghwa’s head hasn’t died down nearly as much as he’d like yet. The cat hybrid would like to gloss it over and just tell himself he’s jealous of Mingi’s friendship with Yunho but he’d be lying to himself.

Yeosang has told him that Seonghwa’s feelings are making him imagine things, that Mingi and Yunho are purely platonic with each other, that Mingi is like that with Wooyoung too. Seonghwa still isn’t convinced, but he knows how to keep the thoughts internal. The last thing he would want is to take it out on Mingi, who’s one of the sweetest kids Seonghwa’s met.

Seonghwa himself had gone with a silky, loose dress shirt cinched in at the waist by a belt, and thin flared patterned pants that tightened around the thighs just a bit, complementing his long legs. Lastly, he added a few stray sparkles around his eyes. His mind flashes back to the guy watching him in there store but Seonghwa tries to force it out. He didn’t want some strange creep, scary or not, to stop him from dressing the way he likes.

That being said, Seonghwa has all intentions to never go back to that mall again, there have been far too many incidents there in the past few years, this recent one being the cherry on top.

Meanwhile Mingi was wearing a shirt that would look like something a peanut vendor would wear on anyone besides him, unbuttoning the thing down to the middle of his chest, with long jeans to match, resembling a surfer.

Ten minutes later, Yeosang pulls up in a shiny red sports car that definitely wasn’t his and the three boys squished into the back seat with Yunho sandwiched in the middle, his head almost touching the top of the car. 

“You girls ready to get your party pants on?” Yeosang turns his head to the trio in the backseat. 

Mingi does a little whoop whoop to which Yunho laughs and says. “Ready as I’ll ever be... hey Yeosang you don’t think people will give me... trouble for this outfit do you?” 

“If they do please tell me so Jongho and I can publicly shame them before Wooyoung does.” The curly-tailed pup was meeting them at the party, as Changbin had wanted to drive him. 

Wait... Jongho? Seonghwa then turns his attention over to the passenger seat where there sits a very unassuming boy with thin, glossy-furred black ears rising from his dark hair. He looks very dapper in his short sleeved blue button up, in stark contrast to Yeosang’s e-boy attire, probably a bit younger than the senior kids.

“Oh yeah... guys this is Jongho. I’ve probably mentioned him once or twice, he’s my strong friend. Jongho, this is Seonghwa Yunho and Mingi.” The fox hybrid motions towards the three in the backseat one at a time.

Jongho throws them an awkward. “Hey.” Before resuming his forward facing position in the passengers seat. Yunho gives him a friendly hand gesture in return, sunshiny smile on his face. Seonghwa giggles and tries to ignore the little upbeat in his chest when his eyes linger on his best friend’s smile a second too long. That happened far too often these days.

“Also his parents kinda don’t know we’ve got the car so... try not to fog up the glass.” Yeosang adds at a stoplight.

“Noted.” Seonghwa responds, adjusting the layers of his silk shirt.

Choi San lives coincidentally only a block or so from Seonghwa’s. Makes sense really, their neighborhood was one of the more upper-scale ones. The cat hybrid figures this San guy’s parents must run along the same narrative as his own when it comes to canines if San inviting them over pisses them off. 

What they weren’t ready for was the sheer scale of the place. They might as well be pulling up to the governor’s mansion, it definitely looks important enough, all white and modern with fucking... are those pillars? At the front, and a fountain with a giant Lynx monument in the middle. Yep, definitely fancy, and definitely elitist. 

Yunho finds himself at the head of their group, shivering while walking up a short staircase and nervously holding a hand up to knock on the towering mahogany door before glancing back at his friends. “I... do I just knock? Or do we wait for a bouncer or...” 

Yeosang rolls his eyes, giving Yunho a pat on the back and opening the door himself, and the bass heard from behind outside explodes into the atmosphere. Yeosang gestures towards the entrance, raising an eyebrow and bowing like a butler. Seonghwa nudges Yunho affectionately and gives the pup a knowing smile before they enter the building, the mahogany door looming shut behind them. 

The music is loud, not too loud but loud enough to promote a lot of dancing. There’s probably at least half of the senior and upper-school population all bustling in what looks like multiple different rooms on the first floor, to say nothing of the giant spiral staircase that leads to the second. The living room has had most of its furniture pushed to the side, the whole open room being big enough for a small wedding reception. 

Yunho has an expression of utter fascination, eyes wide, floppy ears perked up, and looking around excitedly at the scene like he’s just entered candy land . Seonghwa begins to say something over the music about ‘sticking together’ and being ‘responsible’ before looking around and realizing Yeosang is already heading straight for the giant artisan water cooler holding a suspiciously electric-blue liquid. Jongho gives an apologetic look at the rest of the group before rushing to hold Yeosang back. The dog hybrid manages to help out a “Car needs to be back by two!”

Before Seonghwa can try and scold Yeosang, Wooyoung darts from the open room and squeezes Yunho and Mingi together in a hug. 

“You guys are _late_.” The curly-tailed pup is wearing a jean jacket, backwards cap and white t-shirt that makes him look like a very try hard alpha dudebro or something of the sort. 

“We wanted to dress up Yunho... I mean, worth it, right?” Mingi steps aside to show off Yunho’s honestly criminally hot outfit.

“Hot _damn_.” Wooyoung eyes Yunho up like a piece of cake. “You’re shoulder blades look sickening, who the fuck put him in that?”

“This wolf right here.” Yunho pulls Mingi in closer to him and the wolf hybrid blushes, grinning nervously at Wooyoung.

“Genius stuff right here.” The curly tailed pup gives the red-haired boy a high-five before turning to look at the frustrated cat hybrid behind them. “I see Seonghwa Hyung broke out the milf pants...” Wooyoung raises a knowing eyebrow at the older boy. Seonghwa rolls his eyes.

“You don’t get to make fun of my outfit when you look like a frat boy, Wooyoung.”

“Just shaking things up a bit, getting the cogs turning for some of the close minded assholes here. Yunho’s doing it too!” Wooyoung gestures towards the taller pup’s outfit.

Yunho just smiled, taking the claim as a compliment. 

The music changes to a classic disco-sounding beat, a bunch of the people in the main hall whooping and yelling in excitement. Wooyoung droops a bit. “Fucking hate this song.”

“Let’s dance!” Mingi is gesturing towards the open room where there are already a bunch of kids dancing. Wooyoung walks after him reluctantly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Seonghwa catches sight of Yeosang dragging Jongho into the kitchen for who knows what, the poor boy reluctantly letting himself be bullied into following the fox hybrid. Seonghwa hopes Yeosang will still be able to drive them all home by the end of the night.

Seonghwa trails after Yunho, heading into the open room.

“Dance with me, Hyung?” Yunho is holding out his hand eagerly, inviting the cat hybrid onto the dance floor and suddenly the booming of the music goes quiet in Seonghwa’s ears. He knows Yunho doesn’t mean it in any way other than platonic but it still tugs at Seonghwa’s heartstrings, a common occurrence that the cat hybrid is trying very hard to subdue. He takes one look back out at into the open room, filled with feline and canine hybrids alike and takes a deep breath before saying. 

“You should go dance with Mingi.”

Yunho’s ears droop a bit as he retracts his hand, looking back at Seonghwa pointedly. “Hyung were just friends... that’s all really.”

“Well then you should go and dance with Mingi as friends.” Seonghwa crosses his arms, not letting up. If he wanted to get rid of his romantic feelings for his best friend he might as well start now. 

“Hyung...”

“Yunho...” 

The golden-haired boy pouts adorably before turning his direction over to the wolf hybrid, who has found himself surrounded by a bunch of very eager omegas and looks like he needs saving anyways. Seonghwa watches in mild jealousy as Yunho takes Mingi’s hand enthusiastically and the two prance on over to the middle of the open room.

The cat hybrid figures he should find an area to properly babysit, so he situates himself next to a large statue of a Lynx hybrid holding what looks like a lute and a stack of books, probably a scholar. Seonghwa crosses his arms, flicks his tail back and forth as he observes the open room along with his friends mixed into the crowd.

Wooyoung, very much blitzed out from thrill at this point, is grinding erratically against Changbin in a corner of the open room, both canines clearly not giving a shit about the crowd of other kids around them. Seonghwa lets out a small chuckle. He’d probably be the one to have to drag everyone into Jongho’s car tonight if Yeosang didn’t manage to evade the electric blue drink display for longer.

Yunho looks so happy moving his hips back and forth with Mingi, doing a silly twirl with the wolf hybrid and then going on to a messy tango. The two canines tails are both wagging in tandem. Seonghwa didn’t even know wolf hybrids could wag their tails. The cat hybrid is just happy the Yunho was getting out more, he’s seemed very on edge since the birthday incident and a rager at a rich kid’s mansion seemed like the right atmosphere for the boy to forget his worries.

Seonghwa fleetingly imagines what it would be like if Yunho and him danced... not like this but at an actual dance or one of those dumb fancy parties his parents had. The pup was so tall, Seonghwa could only imagine how well he’d lead, big hand around the cat hybrid’s waist, twirling and dipping him. The idea seems so perfect in his mind. Seonghwa feels his heart pang and he knows he should stop. It’d only worsen the situation, and his best friend is having such a good time out there...

“You look lonely.”

Seonghwa is broken out of his thoughts, looking to his right at the source of the voice. 

The cat hybrid who spoke to him is short, almost short enough to be considered a runt but what he lacks for in size he makes up for in an aura of truly magnetic confidence. He’s wearing a snazzy black leather jacket with... leopard print lining and fur? Along the rim like a down coat. Interesting choice. His dyed indigo hair is in an undercut swept back like some sort of greaser, with little ginger tabby ears poking out. Trouble. This kid spelled trouble. Wether or not it was the good kind, Seonghwa didn’t know if he wanted to find out.

“Not lonely... just watching my friends.” Seonghwa makes sure the guy knows he’s not alone. The cat hybrid is obviously a tom from the way he holds himself, Seonghwa’s mind flashes back to the what happened at the mall and decides it’d be smart to keep his guard up for now.

“Sorry if I seem like I’m coming on to you...” The cat hybrid backs up a bit and holds out a small hand in a greeting. “I’m Hongjoong. I’m a... you could say I’m a stray cat... tom I guess. I’m eighteen.”

Seonghwa takes Hongjoong’s hand cautiously. “Seonghwa. I’m an angora queen. I’m eighteen too.”

Hongjoong smiles at him, the smaller boy making himself comfortable next to Seonghwa against the wall. “Don’t have anyone to dance with?”

Seonghwa thinks of Yunho’s offer just a few minutes ago and shakes his head. “I don’t think I’m ready to bust out my moves yet... my friends are having fun and... I guess that’s all that matters, right?” Seonghwa looks at the shorter boy next to his shoulder. “Why aren’t you dancing?”

“Not much of a dancer myself... more into the background work, producing and whatnot..” The tabby hybrid keeps on smirking, probably to try and win Seonghwa over. He’d be lying if he said it wasn’t working.

“Are you a music production major?”

“Double major. Producing and fashion design. Trying to do some rap on the side but don’t tell my friends or they’ll call me a loser...” Hongjoong perks a little ginger ear up at Seonghwa. “What about you?”

Hongjoong seems to be genuinely curious and interested in Seonghwa which... isn’t common considering all the shallow idiots in the world. Seonghwa is intrigued by the guy, that’s for sure. He takes a deep breath to resume his calm, composed exterior. “I’m studying music too... vocal and musical theory stuff mostly but I may try getting back into dance in the future... most of my friends are studying dance.”

“You’ll have to sing for me sometime... so who’re your friends?” 

Seonghwa gulps. Here’s the part when every potential date or friend does a full one-eighty and beelines it anywhere _but_ Seonghwa. He figures he should get it over with... he’s sure as hell not going to lie about his all-canine friend group just to get laid.

“That’s Wooyoung over there... in the corner with the stocky guy.” Seonghwa gestures towards the curly-tailed boy who still hasn’t gotten himself and his date a room yet.

“Yunho and Mingi... those two tall ones in the middle, the blonde with the floppy ears and the wolfy one.” Mingi is pounding his chest like an ape. Seonghwa briefly wonders if the boy got his hands on the drink station. His gaze lingers a bit when Yunho breaks out into laughter, watching the golden-haired boy wag his tail and grin ear-to-ear. Focus, Seonghwa.

“And then Yeosang ran off nearby the... is that a keg?” Seonghwa is looking towards the kitchen entryway where there is indeed a couple of kegs, all being guarded by a stoic looking lion hybrid with can-opener biceps. 

“San always goes all-out... you’ve never been to one of his parties? He always invites like, most of feline population at the school. Ever since junior year.”

“I’m kind of an outcast... I mean you’ve seen my friend group, not a lot of felines are too keen on the whole “dog smell” as they say.”

“Well... a lot of felines aren’t keen on mixing the hybrid types. I mean there _are_ some legitimate reasons but... never been the type to enforce the concept myself.” Hongjoong leans an arm against the wall, facing Seonghwa from the side. “We’ve been talking for what, ten minutes now? And for the record, I’m not getting any dog smell. Just a hint of rose petals and... strawberries maybe?”

Seonghwa is too taken aback by the fact that Hongjoong _wasn’t_ weirded out that he forgets to say anything back, looking astonishingly at the shorter cat hybrid, mouth slightly open.

“Earth to Seonghwa...” Hongjoong grins, this time more amused than provocative, waving a small hand in front of the taller boy’s face. 

Seonghwa shakes his head and blinks a few times. “Sorry. It’s... not often I meet people, especially toms so... open minded.”

Hongjoong shrugs and smooths back his hair, rolling his eyes in a way that absolutely shouldn’t be as sexy as it is. “I’m an edgy fashion design kid... it kinda comes with the major if I’m being honest. So I was saying you smell like strawberries...”

“It’s probably from the boba shop... I get a strawberry yogurt drink there.”

“Me too.”

“Really? Shut up you’re just trying to get me to go there with you...” Seonghwa likes to think he’s immune to the smaller boy’s charms. 

“No that’s actually where my friends hang out after classes... And... if you don’t mind me saying, we _could_ go there together sometime...” Hongjoong raises his eyebrows and smiles.

Seonghwa sighs. “You’re so persistent... tell me how many poor queens has that heartbreaker getup gotten to fall into your little arms tonight?”

“Just you, if this goes well. And I hope I’m not being presumptuous when I say it might be..?”

“Not at all...” Seonghwa flirts back. It feels good, freeing almost. He hasn’t had a slightly romantic encounter with anyone since freshman year when that one guy ran out on him at the movies. He continues to talk casually to Hongjoong, the smaller boy’s slim tail raised in interest. It’s got a little white patch at the tip. Seonghwa thinks it’s adorable. Meanwhile Hongjoong continues to push every one of Seonghwa’s buttons in the attraction department. It’s... very different from the soft warm feelings he get with Yunho, but enjoyable nonetheless.

“You’re friends seem nice. Think they’ll miss you if you... take a break from babysitting?”

Seonghwa isn’t quite sure how things played out, but a quick trip upstairs later Hongjoong has him pressed up against the wall of one of San’s guest bathrooms, attacking his mouth relentlessly while the party still blares right outside the door.

Seonghwa gasps, a breathy lewd sound and holds on to Hongjoong’s shoulders as the tom grips his waist and begins to trail kisses down Seonghwa’s neck. He nips at the soft skin behind the his ear, earning another soft moan from Seonghwa and the taller boy is sure he hears a small satisfied chuckle come from the tabby’s lips. Confident, more like cocky but somehow Hongjoong’s wolfish grin when he resurfaces from his neck goes straight to Seonghwa’s cock, trapped uncomfortably due to the older boy’s choice in pants. 

“Fucking gorgeous... every inch of you, Hwa.” The nickname rolls of the shorter’s tongue like he’d been saying it for years and Seonghwa feels absolutely helpless in the best way possible. Hongjoong moves a hand down the taller boy’s back, smoothing over the base of his fluffy tail which perks up in arousal at the touch. Seonghwa can feel himself starting to drip slick, shifting his position so it won’t get on his pants.

And then, Hongjoong stops. Seonghwa comes to his senses, blinking confusedly until Hongjoong murmurs to him. “If you need me to stop, you tell me. Got it?” He looks at Seonghwa with seriousness in his face. Seonghwa is just now noticing the multiple piercings on the tabby hybrid’s ears.

Seonghwa give the shorter boy a nod. “I should tell you... I’ve never-“

“It’s okay, Hwa. Just follow my lead..” Hongjoong purrs.

At that, Hongjoong resumes his playful touches, dipping his hands and squeezing at Seonghwa’s asscheeks under the thin material of the fucking palazzo pants the cat hybrid is wearing. Now there’s definitely slick messing up the fabric, as Seonghwa can feel a little wet patch forming. He whines, needy, biting his lip. “Please...” 

Hongjoong is pulling Seonghwa closer to him. “Want me to suck you off, gorgeous?”

Seonghwa nods his head frantically, grabbing the lapels of Hongjoong’s jacket. “I’d love that.”

_______

Yunho feels like he’s on fire in the best way possible right now. One minute him and Mingi were searching the crowd for Seonghwa, then another wolf hybrid guy stumbles up to them, shoving two solo cups with the bright blue stuff swirling tantalizingly into his and Mingi’s hands. And now Yunho is clapping and shouting for the other canine as he hip thrusts his way around the circle thats formed surrounding his friend. Yunho would have never guessed the timid Mingi had this much gusto in him.

Mingi’s shirt is all the way open now, abs and chest on display for the whole crowd, and he’s attempting to do a flip. When the wolf hybrid inevitably fails, he recovers not-so smoothly to another round of cheers and runs up to Yunho, pulling the dog hybrid into the circle with him. Yunho stands there, startled by all the sudden eyes on him while Mingi rakes in applause for the golden-haired boy.

The wolf hybrid takes up Yunho’s hands in his own and moves so that the dog hybrid is twirling him, enthusiastically inviting the taller boy to bust a move.

And boy does Yunho go all out.

There’s thrusting and popping and pretty soon Yunho finds himself twerking for the crowd, who are going crazy at this point, pulling out their phones and mimicking throwing money at the pup like it’s a strip club. Yunho has never felt more alive than in this moment, energy buzzing in his veins, Mingi laughing next to him. God if Seonghwa could see this he’d have such an adorable hissy fit...

Wait. Weren’t they supposed to be looking for the older boy?

“What the fuck are we doing..?” Yunho comes to his senses all at once mid-jump kick and falls on top of Mingi, who just pulls him into an intoxicated hug, giggling.

“Mingi we need to find Seonghwa..” Yunho tries to be heard over the chanting, to which Mingi just looks at him blankly, not in the state of mind to process what the pup was saying. The wolf hybrid seemed to be quite the lightweight.

“Cmon...” Yunho picks up the boy himself, which isn’t an easy feat considering they were around the same size and Mingi definitely built up his physique from dancing.

Mingi just giggles a. “Where are we going, Yunho...?” Sleazily and leans onto the dog hybrid’s side, taking a second to wave back at the disappointed crowd.

Yunho scrambles over in Wooyoung’s direction, dragging a floppy Mingi along with him. The curly-tailed boy is laughing at something Changbin said when he notices the presence of the two taller pups. “Hey, finally decided to join us, hm? Oh shit.” The pup looks back over at Mingi and frowns. “Honestly I’m jealous, like I’ve probably drank two times as much as you guys have and I _still_ can’t get tipsy.” The pup laughs.

“Have you seen Seonghwa?” Yunho blurts out.

Wooyoung shrugs. “Last I saw he was watching us in that corner like a perv. Honestly can’t blame him though. We’re hot as fuck, right?” Changbin, who’s been sipping at a drink this whole time just smirks and nods back at him. 

Okay. Seonghwa _was_ missing. No big deal. Right? Yunho turns away, Wooyoung protesting as he goes, his voice getting lost in the bustle. The pup can’t help but worry, mind immediately going to the worse case scenario. It was an appropriate reaction considering they had only recently gone through that episode at the mall. What if Seonghwa was hurt? Fuck, what if someone had drugged him? That was definitely a possibility given the range of people lurking around at this party. 

Just as he begins to panic, Yunho runs straight into the cat hybrid rounding a corner, bumping noses, startling a drooping Mingi. “Shit.” Yunho holds his face in pain while Seonghwa tries to pick Mingi back up, the boy slumping onto the floor with Yunho’s hands preoccupied.

“Hyung! We were worried about you...” Yunho says, muffled.

“Oh shit... shit guys. I shouldn’t have- I’m so sorry, pup.” Seonghwa looks genuinely regretful as his gaze flies back and forth between Yunho and Mingi. “Did something happen or...”

“No! No nothing happened Hyung... I just thought you had been kidnapped or something.” Yunho laughs a bit at the end of his sentence. He was so stupid... Seonghwa was eighteen for fucks sake he goes out on his own all the time it’s not like he can’t handle himself. This was just a fun party, filled with kids their age. Nothing was wrong. The cat hybrid does look a little disheveled, hair messed up but it’s probably just from navigating the crowd. 

Wooyoung is on them in an instant, wrapping his arms around Yunho’s front from behind. “Guess who? See, he’s fine, Yun. Also guys it’s like, one thirty so... are we just saying ‘fuck it’ or do we care about Jongho’s curfew?” 

“What?!” Seonghwa looks panicked now, tail puffing up behind him and eyes wide. “How the hell has it been that long?”

Wooyoung shrugs, unfazed. “Beats me, Hyung I thought you were at the snack bar the entire time, I was honestly kinda concerned for your fun-factor.”

“Me and Mingi were- we were dancing the whole time- well... actually no we weren’t dancing the whole time.” Yunho tries to recall the events of the last three hours.

“You can’t tell me he got this fucked just from _dancing_ , Yunho.” Wooyoung gestures at Mingi who has resumed his position on Yunho’s shoulder, gazing absentmindedly at the wall.

“I drank just as much as he did! It was only like, one cup of the bright blue stuff!” Yunho points out.

“The blue stuff?! That explains it that shit tastes like battery acid how the fuck did you down a whole cup?”

“Would you guys quit it?” Seonghwa is scanning their room frantically. “Okay let’s try and- where are Yeosang and Jongho? Okay new plan we need to-“

“Is that a _hickey_?!” Wooyoung is now staring wide eyed at Seonghwa’s exposed collarbone, which sure enough shows a small purple bloom that was not there before. Seonghwa looks caught off guard, halting his rallying to adjust his silky shirt so the mark wasn’t exposed, it was too late though. 

“Did you get laid? Holy shit you got laid didn’t you. I _knew_ you had a freaky side, Hyung!Who was it?” Wooyoung immediately begins asking questions, cornering the taller boy against the wall. 

Yunho blinks, eyes running over the hickey again. Did Seonghwa... actually sleep with someone? At a party? That lovebite was definitely telling. Maybe it was from Dahyun, the pup knows how much Seonghwa seems to be enamored by her... Yunho knows he should feel happy for his best friend, even if it was uncharacteristic of the older boy. 

And yet he doesn’t know why, but the dog hybrid has the strange sudden wanting to get rid of that hickey on Seonghwa’s smooth collarbone, wipe it away somehow. Or cover it up. What? That didn’t even make any sense...

“You guys are so loouuud...” It’s Yeosang, slung onto Jongho, who is giving him a piggyback ride, walking up to the group through the dimmed lights. “We can hear you, like, all the way across the room.” Yeosang is very much drunk and very much not able to drive anyone home. Not a chance.

Seonghwa’s ears flatten and he puts two fingers on his forehead like he has a headache from everything. Yunho swallows. Time to step in.

“Guys...? The car needs-“ Jongho starts nervously.

“Were going now.“ Yunho spreads his arms to encompass most of the group, ushering everyone towards the door, Wooyoung looking like he wants to argue. 

Just as they’re turning to leave, Choi San himself is escorted out into the main room being carried by several other kids, tufted ears held high. He looks like a celebrity on a float waving down to all the peasants below him. Then the guy screams something about everyone getting turnt and Seonghwa seems to come to his senses, him and Yunho pushing everyone out the door immediately, not wanting to get involved.

“Okay everyone out. _now_.” Seonghwa flattens his ears, trying to hold back Wooyoung.

“Wouldn’t be saying that a few hours ago when you were getting _laid_ , huh?” Wooyoung retaliates. Yunho doesn’t know why but he really _really_ wants to stop talking about Seonghwa possibly sleeping with someone at the party, right now. Taking a deep breath in, the golden-haired boy grabs Wooyoung, carrying Mingi under one arm, the curly-tailed pup under the other, and marches across the courtyard.

Wooyoung protests about saying goodbye to his boyfriend but doesn’t try to struggle against Yunho’s hold knowing it’s a fruitless effort. Yeosang looks passed out on Jongho’s shoulders, them and Seonghwa trailing along after them, trying to get to the car across the street.

Jongho throws Yeosang into the trunk hastily before taking up the drivers seat, Seonghwa next to him, with Mingi Yunho and Wooyoung piled into the middle row one after the other, barely managing to buckle their seatbelts before Jongho is speeding off into the night. Seonghwa clutched the door of the car in fear, flattening his ears and bracing for some sort of impact.

“You know how to drive, right?”

“Yes.” Jongho looks just as scared as Seonghwa, eyes flitting from the dark haired boy to the road. “I also know my parents are going to _flip_ if they don’t see this car in the garage when they get back.”

Yunho just clutches Mingi like his life depends on it, ignoring the wolf hybrid’s attempts to nose at his neck drunkenly, giggling steadily. Wooyoung is pouting and hmphing like he’s being kidnapped, leaning against Yunho stubbornly. The tall pup lets out a deep breath. Even Jongho’s driving credentials were... concerning to say the least, it was nice not being surrounded but the crowd anymore. And everyone seems to have forgotten about Seonghwa’s hickey, luckily. Hopefully that didn’t bug the dog hybrid any more, all it did was confuse him.

But then, once they come to a stoplight near Yunho’s house, Seonghwa randomly curses.

“Shit..”

“What?”

Seonghwa looks at everyone in embarrassment. “My house was back near San’s...” He points his thumb back the way they came and everyone in the car groans, Jongho smacking his head against the wheel dramatically. 

“I’m _not_ turning around.” Jongho gives him a stern look. 

“You can stay at my place, Hyung.” Yunho chips in, to which Jongho sighs annoyingly. Yunho is sure the kid might have dumped the cat hybrid on the side of the road if they bothered him any more. 

Jongho drops him and Seonghwa off at his house, and the two collapsed onto the couch in the basement, Yunho almost feeling like he could sleep right on the floor. And he does, feeling himself lulling off just lying there. Seonghwa opts for the couch, muttering a goodnight to the pup below him.

Yunho tries to convince himself he isn’t as upset as he feels when he spots the slightly smudged phone number scrawled onto Seonghwa’s wrist, exposed from where the older boy’s arm is drooping off the couch. 

Not upset at all. That’s what Yunho tells himself as he drifts to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had to refresh myself on which members are lightweights lol
> 
> we have finally been introduced to all the Ateez members!! things are only going to ramp up from here, i hope you all stay tuned 
> 
> thank you so much for reading!!


	9. Make A Wish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ninth chapter! sorry for the late update, had to get some more writing for the future chapters set in place first
> 
> some seongjoong smut in the beginning, it’s brief tho and pretty easy to skip over
> 
> hope you all enjoy! <3

Hongjoong’s number was smudged off Seonghwa’s wrist from sweat the morning after the party and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed. 

So when Kim Hongjoong sends him a. “Want to fuck around?” Text in the afternoon some time later, he’s... surprised to say the least.

Not before he does a quick social media scan for the tabby boy of course. And that’s when Seonghwa is hit with... a shitload of information. First of all, the guy has over a hundred thousand followers on most his social medias, secondly, when Hongjoong said he was a fashion design major, Seonghwa didn’t think that meant he’d be featured in most every Horizon Academy showcase magazine there was. Was he a model too? The guy is some sort of art school mega-socialite.

Seonghwa gets a magazine from one of the gallery rooms at classes the next day, flipping to the photography and fashion design section. Hongjoong is featured on a full two-page spread decked out in leopard print and way too many necklaces looking like a straight up pimp, sticking his tongue out and giving the camera that classic smirk. On the next page he’s wearing a strawberry print bucket hat and a layered pink skirt, complete with tights and heels, little tail poking out from the side and ears perked innocently. The duality was really something. Even so the tabby boy pulled off both looks unfairly well.

Seonghwa’s parents are out for the night on a date and probably won’t be home until late hours. Perfect time to let Hongjoong over. Seonghwa says yes to the text, half expecting to witness a horde of photographers and fans pull up on his lawn. First Yunho’s fan club, now this. 

Kim Hongjoong pulls up to Seonghwa’s driveway in a customized jet black motorcycle and shoves off his leather jacket, marching up to Seonghwa’s house like he’s about to steal his wallet and his girlfriend. And when Seonghwa opens the door, there he is leaning against the doorframe wearing a mini beret, mom jeans, a sweater that engulfs his entire body, and that classic wolfish smirk plastered across his face. The look was completed by the small boy’s cute little ginger striped ears poking out of the beret.

“So I heard you’re quite the celebrity.”

“Who told you that, gorgeous?” 

Seonghwa holds up the academy magazine, raising an eyebrow.

And somehow, once again, Seonghwa has not much of a recollection as to how they got here exactly, Hongjoong feeling him up and kissing him breathless while Seonghwa writhes against his bedsheets helplessly. Well Hongjoong did ask him if he wanted to “fuck around” and Seonghwa _had_ said yes.

“Safe word?” Hongjoong suddenly stalls his hands and looks expectantly up at him. Seonghwa wants so desperately for him to continue but he knows this is important.

“Um.... Twilight?” Seonghwa says.

“Perfect...” The smaller boy purrs, pausing before taking his hands away from Seonghwa, who whines a bit at the loss of touch. Hongjoong just tuts and begins to strip, throwing his shirt over the side of the bed. Seonghwa tries to ignore the urge to pick it up.

For a guy of his stature, Hongjoong was surprisingly sizable, a bit bigger than average actually. Seonghwa guessed it was his tom biology. Seonghwa is about average size in comparison, but being a queen of course made his cock look a lot less... robust? More like a cute plaything than anything else. He wasn’t supposed to use it traditionally of course so Seonghwa figures having a big girthy dick wasn’t on the queen’s biological checklist. 

Hongjoong giggles a bit when he sees Seonghwa staring. Seonghwa doesn’t feel any shame, it _is_ a nice dick, he feels like he has the rights to anyways.

“You’re... kinda big considering..”

“My size? Yeah I know... not the first time I’ve gotten that. It’s always a delightful surprise for... anyone I sleep with.” Hongjoong continues to pull his jeans and boxers all the way down, discarding them on the floor. Seonghwa flicks an ear again at the strewn clothes.

“So you’ve done this before?” Seonghwa asks, trying not to sound too nervous.

“Is it your first time?” 

“I- yeah. Is that a bad thing...”

“Nope, not at all.” Hongjoong is completely naked now, and begins to crouch over the taller boy assisting Seonghwa to do the same.

Seonghwa pulls his jeans down smoothly and Hongjoong looks like he might come on the spot when he sees the little slip of red lace revealed from underneath.

“Are those panties..?” 

Seonghwa is wearing a pair of lacy red underwear with little ruffles at the hips and a tiny satin bow right in the middle, a pair he picked out pretty recently. They’re loose enough to be comfy but tight enough to clearly show an outline of his hardening cock. Seonghwa felt himself blush. “Thought I’d dress up..”

Hongjoong helps him remove every piece of clothing except the panties, leaning back at the display before him.

Seonghwa was all bronzed skin, wide shoulders, small toned waist and long, supple model-esque legs. Hongjoong rakes his eyes down the older boy’s entire form, stopping once or twice to blink like this was an illusion and Seonghwa would disappear beneath him. Seonghwa stretches under Hongjoong’s gaze knowing it accentuates his figure even more, reaching his hands above his head and arching his back just a bit, his tail curling lazily next to him. 

Seonghwa remembers Yunho once telling him he looked like a supermodel. It had been one of the comments that made Seonghwa turn a notable amount of red, curling in on himself and giggling back at the confused dog hybrid. Why is he thinking of Yunho right now?

Hongjoong gives Seonghwa a toothy smirk, licking his lips just a bit. “You look like a walking, talking wet dream.”

Seonghwa purrs lightly, enjoying the praise and the attention on his body more than he thought he would. “Touch me then...” 

Hongjoong eagerly runs one of his small hands down Seonghwa’s front and begins to press small kisses over his skin, starting at his neck dipping all the way to his navel and ghosting his hands over the outline of his cock softly, before reaching below to cup his asscheeks, propping them up for better access. “You ready?”

Seonghwa nods, bending his legs back towards his chest.

“Lube?”

“Under the bed..” Seonghwa gestures. He knows he can produce enough slick to provide a smooth enough slide but... it’s always good to be sure. Just in case, since Seonghwa was nervous enough as it is. Even so, he can’t help the mewl that escapes his mouth when Hongjoong glides his cool, wet fingers over his rim, other hand pushing his cheeks apart roughly. Seonghwa figures it won’t be too loose inside as he hasn’t had time to finger himself in awhile.

Hongjoong begins to prod around inside the taller boy, circling and stretching Seonghwa’s velvety walls slowly but surely with the aid of the queen’s slick, until he curls his middle finger up ever so slightly and brushes against a soft spot that makes Seonghwa keen, feeling his mind go fuzzy with arousal, letting out a sharp, loud moan. 

Hongjoong just licks his lips and continues to rub the pads of his fingers up against the little knot of flesh inside him as Seonghwa leaks precum onto his stomach messily. It’s not a feeling he’s unfamiliar with but _fuck_ it feels good when it’s not himself doing it.

“You know the prostate in queens and omegas is larger and thus more accessible than that of the average male-bodied hybrid?” Hongjoong rambles, seeming to ignore Seonghwa’s neediness. Seonghwa didn’t know that, but he wasn’t in the right state of mind to process the fact completely. Fuck- he wants to come. Right now. Seonghwa tries to tell Hongjoong but his words leave his mouth as pathetic mewls, getting higher pitched by the second. The tabby seems to pick up on it nonetheless.

“Aw what is it, baby...” Hongjoong continues to tease him but slows his fingers, not keen on accidentally hurting the older boy.

“I- Hongjoong... gonna cum...” Seonghwa hates how much he sounds like a baby but at this point he’s desperate, writhing his arms around like he doesn’t know what to do with them. Hongjoong however, doesn’t seem to care one bit, continuing to pump three fingers in and out and then stop right when Seonghwa is about to release.

“Baby... I'm not even inside you yet and you already want to come?” Hongjoong tuts. “So impatient...” Hongjoong teases smugly. By the time they’re done prepping, Seonghwa is reduced to a purring, blissed out mess, chest heaving and skin dappled with sweat, untouched cock leaking pathetically onto his stomach. He feels helpless, but at the same time is basking under all the attention Hongjoong is giving him. 

“ _Please_ fuck me already...”

“You’re adorable.” Is all Hongjoong says back, removing his fingers to slip on a condom, and giggling as Seonghwa tries to expose himself even more, stretched hole clenching around nothing. Darn it why won’t Hongjoong just have mercy on him already?

“You’re body wants this so badly, Hwa, look at how much slick you’re giving me...” Hongjoong purrs, taking one last swipe at his rim before lining the tip of his cock up, lifting Seonghwa up just a bit more from the mattress. He presses in slowly, every inch sending more and more happy pulses through the taller boy’s body. He moves after a minute, going slow, sliding up against Seonghwa’s prostate gently with each thrust and the cat hybrid is whining, not finding the words to tell Hongjoong to move faster like he wants.

“Mmh... Hongjoong! I...” Seonghwa breaks into a sweet moan at the end of his sentence, Hongjoong giggling just a bit. Fucking bastard. Seonghwa has the strongest urge to flip the smaller boy over and finish fucking himself on his cock but he waits obediently as Hongjoong picks up the speed, thrusting in and out and watching Seonghwa begin to descend into fucked-out bliss, breathing harshly, letting himself be driven into the mattress with pleasure. 

The smaller boy just purrs in delight as Seonghwa let’s out little _ah_ , _ahs_ and begins to purr back, heightening his arousal with the vibrations running throughout his and Hongjoong’s bodies. Fuck, this is so sweet. 

Just when Seonghwa feels like he’s at the edge, Hongjoong pulls out of him completely and the older boy lets let’s out a little whine, thrashing his arms. “Hongjoong...” Fuck he wants to come on the smaller boy’s cock to badly, feel the ripples of pleasure vibrate and wash over as his purring dies down.

“Wanna change positions?” 

Seonghwa laughs at that, still breathing heavily from getting so near to release. “You’re infuriating...” He had wanted to try riding him anyways so... Seonghwa complies as Hongjoong helps him position himself above the tabby, gentle hold on his upper thighs, running back to stroke the base of his tail. Seonghwa purrs at that, lining up Hongjoong’s tip to his used hole carefully.

For a second, Seonghwa is afraid he might crush the smaller boy, sinking down inch by inch back onto his length, dribbles of slick squelching as he bottoms out.

At first, the older boy was nervously just rolling his hips, grinding down to the rhythm of Hongjoong’s gentle praises. But once he got into the groove of riding... holy shit did he love it. Hongjoong’s eyes were on him the entire time as Seonghwa went back and forth between bouncing up and down and then grinding sensually down on the smaller boy’s cock. 

The older boy placed his hands on Hongjoong’s chest or leant them back, exposing his front to the cat hybrid below him. The tabby kept muttering praises at Seonghwa, telling him he was doing perfectly, that he looked so pretty and desperate hanging off his length like that, and Seonghwa practically preened at the praise.

Seonghwa’s fluffy black tail subconsciously moves to coil around Hongjoong’s slim tabby one, the two twisting and flitting around each other in tandem. It’s then that the smaller boy moves one of the hands on his thigh to stroke at Seonghwa’s cock, smoothing his thumb over the wet tip and watching Seonghwa’s adorable expressions as he did.

It felt like giving a show, a performance, keeping eye contact with Hongjoong the entire time, sticking his tongue out, letting breathy moans escape his lips. He felt in control of everything with Hongjoong’s attention on him, small hands spread on his thighs, beautiful and powerful like a deity.

Seonghwa released onto his own stomach as Hongjoong swiped his thumb over the head once more, cum dripping down onto Hongjoong’s chest when he leaned foreword as the smaller boy filled up the condom inside Seonghwa. And he collapsed onto the other side of the bed, feeling satisfied and appreciated.

“ _Fuck_ , you can ride cock well.” Hongjoong blurts out once the two are done heaving, like he’s just been through a mind-blowing experience, and maybe he had.

Hongjoong cleans both of them up, changes the sheets, folds up the clothes, even grooms Seonghwa’s hair and ears when he’s done, which Seonghwa is eternally grateful for. For one, he can’t sleep in a messy room but also his body feels like it’s been robbed of all it’s valuable resources right now so he’s happy to let the smaller boy do the work.

“Do you have any dreams?” Hongjoong says fleetingly, voice warm in Seonghwa’s ear.

They’re laying down sideways now, lights off, Hongjoong insisting on big spooning Seonghwa. The taller cat hybrid feels like he’s got a little koala clinging to him, or that he’s wearing a backpack, with the tabby boy wrapped around him. Both of them are purring deeply, and Hongjoong’s hand is drawing circles over Seonghwa’s chest, playing absent-mindedly with his nipples. 

“Do you ask that to all the queens after you rail them?” Seonghwa jokes

“Shut up... just... in my head right now. Shits weird.”

“What’s weird?” Seonghwa presses.

“... I’m starting to think I’m an anomaly.”

“Why’s that?”

“I’ve never liked someone romantically... like ever. It’s just sex all around, fuckbuddy after fuckbuddy you know?” Hongjoong takes a deep breath, fingers drawing lazy circles on Seonghwa’s chest. “I try going on dates and it just... I always let people down. You think that’s weird?”

Seonghwa doesn’t even need to think about it. “No, not really...”

“So you’re cool with this just being... an on and off thing?”

“I’ve got my own shit I’m dealing with... dating you wouldn’t make things any better.” If he’s being honest, Seonghwa feels he would be lying to himself in a way if he tried to force romantic feelings for Hongjoong. It was all in an effort to forget about Yunho anyways. Why would he want to bring Hongjoong into all that?

A few seconds pass, Seonghwa can hear Hongjoong’s soft breathing on his neck. The time for confessions is now, he figures. Maybe it’s the high from losing his virginity, maybe it’s his tired mind acting up, but he feels like he can trust Hongjoong with a little secret. “I’ve had a crush on my best friend since I was twelve.” 

“... the golden retriever?”

“Yeah.”

“Woahh...” Hongjoong sounds surprised but intrigued.

“My friends- actually my one friend, who knows... he says if I want to get over him then I need to put in the effort.” Or go and get ‘your man’. That’s what Yeosang had said.

There’s a pause.

“... but do you _want_ to get over him?”

“... I don’t know at this point.” This entire experience seems like it opened Seonghwa’s eyes up to... the possibility of a reality where he didn’t have feelings for Yunho and the idea was... empty. It felt lonely, even with someone else holding him so close. It couldn’t come near to the same no matter how much he pushes it. Seonghwa turns his head to look back at the smaller boy, smiling. “You don’t think that’s weird?”

“Nah.”

Seonghwa wakes up the next morning with Hongjoong flopped over on the other side of the bed, hands splayed out like a baby, snoring away. He takes a picture for future blackmail before slipping out of bed, grabbing a robe and heading to the kitchen to whip up some breakfast for the two of them. But that’s when he stops.

Because Seonghwa’s fucking. Parents. Are right there, at the dinner table, his eomma getting place settings for breakfast ready and his mamma reading a news article on her phone. Shit-fuck oh no.

Minutes later, him and Hongjoong are sitting down across from Seonghwa’s parents, his mamma staring daggers into the two young hybrids. Hongjoong doesn’t look intimidated in the slightest, grabbing a fruit slice from the plate in the middle of the table and munching on it, heard very clearly among the silence. The smaller cat hybrid is sitting with one leg pulled up onto the chair, the other splayed out under the table, little tail flicking back and forth lazily. Seonghwa wants disappear.

“So...” His mamma is the first one to talk, crossing her arms. “Were you going to introduce us to your... friend?” She says the last part hesitantly. Fuck, did they see him and Hongjoong cuddling in bed in the morning? 

“Right.” Seonghwa says quietly. “Mamma, eomma, this is Hongjoong. He’s my...” Seonghwa trails off. Hongjoong isn’t his boyfriend. He’s not exactly a normal friend either. “He’s my good... good friend. Hongjoong, meet my parents.” He says, turning back to Hongjoong and willing him not to say anything that might piss them off.

“Hey.” Hongjoong says casually, holding a small hand up in greeting and sporting that trademark mischievous grin. Seonghwa can see his mamma’s ivory-white ear twitch just the slightest bit.

“Seonghwa sweetie, you never told us you’d made a feline friend.” His eomma chimes in, smiling a bit at the scruffy little tabby boy across the table. 

Hongjoong talks before Seonghwa can respond. “I’m not that notable.” He says between bites. The boy had moved on to a whole peach.

“I can see...” Seonghwa’s mamma is observing Hongjoong’s... everything. His outfit, the hair, the piercings. The boy is a like a colorful, spiky ink splotch in the smooth monochrome that was Seonghwa’s dining room. 

Seonghwa’s mamma proceeds to ask Hongjoong what his parents do for a living and when Hongjoong says that they’re social activists Seonghwa prays that his mamma doesn’t clobber him right there at the table. 

After the torturous breakfast Hongjoong promptly excuses himself and gives Seonghwa a gentlemanly kiss on the hand before leaving the cat hybrid to the mercy of his parents, promising to have him over at his place soon. Seonghwa’s mamma has to go to work early so she just gives her son a look that says ‘you’re in trouble’ before rushing out the door with her ceo strut. Seonghwa’s eomma gives him a sympathetic look back at the dining table.

“We’re both happy you’ve made a feline friend, sweetie. It’s... an improvement in her eyes. Trust me we’re both happy.” She smiles. “Also I wasn’t going to say anything... but I did peek into your room earlier and I may have... seen you two all wrapped up.”

Seonghwa begins to cringe into himself and gestures for his eomma to stop talking, feeling his face go hot. “Eomma thats- it’s not what it looks like...” He trails off. He definitely didn’t want to have to explain to his parents the concept behind fuckbuddies. Not a good idea when his parents had probably been in an arranged marriage before they turned twenty one. 

“I know, sweetie I know..” His eomma laughs. “I like your little boyfriend! If that makes you feel any better.”

Seonghwa just shrugs it off. Let them believe they were dating for all he cares. He knew for a fact his mamma thought Hongjoong was a bad influence already but... could she really complain at this point? He’s the first feline they’ve seen in Seonghwa’s social circle, the cat hybrid figures she must be willing to settle for at least a domestic tom if he wouldn’t marry a purebred. At the very least it might get them off his back about the subject for awhile. Maybe him and Hongjoong’s relationship came with more benefits than he thought. 

Maybe it would make his parents stop getting on his case about canines, finally.

_______

Yunho’s birthday came late. Not in the literal sense but the celebration itself Yunho wanted to be memorable as it could. After all, “it’s not every day you turn eighteen” as his eomma says. And so he decided he would spend his party as a joint one with Seonghwa, this time on the week after the older boy’s birthday instead. Because that was the week his eomma was to be away with family, and he would have the entire house all to himself. And at the mercy of his friends at that.

Yunho’s actual birthday he celebrated with just his eomma, a cupcake, and a literal feast presented before him. Yunho had to bring some of the leftovers to school the next day to have a lunchtime picnic with his friends. 

Currently, Yeosang Wooyoung and Mingi are all over at the pup’s house, making preparations for their party with Yunho cooped up in his room because apparently it’s supposed to be a surprise. The taller pup can hear the blender going off from upstairs and briefly worries for the state in which his house will be in once he’s allowed back downstairs. 

He’s content to linger around in his bed when Yunho hears the sound of a motorcycle outside, and peers out the window to see a sharp-looking cat hybrid pull up to his driveway with another person clinging to the back of him, wearing a helmet. What? No one he knew owned a motorcycle, especially within the group of friends coming to his house... as far as he knew Seonghwa was the only one missing. Yunho hurries down the stairs to see what’s up.

“Yunho! What the fuck took you so long?” Wooyoung is already at the door, with Seonghwa and... another guy? A short tabby kid wearing a leather jacket. This must be the motorcyclist.

“You trapped me upstairs, Woo I didn’t know I was allowed free range of my own house again.” Yunho laughs incredulously at the shorter pup.

“Ok cmon you could have left whenever. Anyways, Seonghwa seems to have... brought a _friend_.” Wooyoung is giving Seonghwa a look of pure evil intentions. The cat hybrid just pushes past Wooyoung and approaches Yunho.

“Happy birthday, pup.”

Yunho smiles back at him. Seonghwa’s hair is all messed up, probably from wearing that motorcycle helmet, and his ears are slightly smushed. It’s cute. “Happy birthday, Hyung.”

“This your best friend you told me about?” It’s the guy. Yunho almost forgot he was there and honestly with how his stomach churns when he looks at him he’d rather keep it that way. No ill intent towards this stranger but Yunho... doesn’t like the suggestive faces Wooyoung is making towards him and Seonghwa.

“Oh yeah! Yunho, this is Hongjoong... he’s a new friend of mine.” Seonghwa steps aside to reveal the shorter feline, all leather and jewelry. Yunho’s stomach hurts.

“Hey I’ve seen you before...” Hongjoong says.

“You have?” Yunho asks. Was Hongjoong one of the kids that watched him during dance practice? If so this would be pretty awkward...

“You were the center for Hyunjin’s dance team last summer showcase, right?” 

“Yeah... I was! You know Hyunjin?” 

“Yeah my best friend is dating him... I was the producer for the song you guys danced to, Aurora.” 

Yunho’s eyes go wide at that and Wooyoung is getting visibly excited next to him. “ _You_ made Aurora?” The curly-tailed pup says, dumbfounded.

“She’s my baby...” Hongjoong talks about his song like it’s his car or sailboat or something. Wooyoung is looking at Hongjoong with stars in his eyes.

“Okay shut the fuck up everyone I’ve gotta- _guys_!” Wooyoung shouts into the other room. “We’ve got a celebrity here! Get the fucking act together let’s make some appetizers or something!” Wooyoung rushes into the other room to gather up Mingi and Yeosang before poking his head back out from the side of the kitchen entrance. “Don’t just stand there, get his coat!” 

Yunho, Seonghwa and Hongjoong all look at each other before breaking out into laughter in tandem. “I mean... I don’t blame him. Aurora _is_ a masterpiece.” Yunho smiles at the tabby, this time sincere. Hongjoong must be a pretty cool guy if he’s got a producing thing going on, and is making songs that good. 

“I’m flattered... but, have to say I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece until you guys did the dance along with it.” Hongjoong compliments him back. Maybe having him over wouldn’t be so bad after all. Him and Seonghwa were probably just friends, from like, music classes or something. 

“Hey where’d you two meet?” Yunho asks, pointing between him and Seonghwa.

“San’s New Years rager.” The tabby responds. Seonghwa’s tail puffs up and the older boy goes visibly stiff.

“I’m sorry, San’s _what_.” It’s Wooyoung again, and he’s back to the suggestive looks. He’s elbowing Seonghwa repeatedly, pointing back and forth at the two felines and making weird gestures that Seonghwa is probably supposed to understand but clearly doesn’t. Aaaand here comes the stomach ache. Great. This was going to be a long night.

Yeosang comes parading out of the kitchen holding two giant cakes featuring a crude drawing of what looks like the Yunho himself doing a backbend, golden buttercream hair and all, meanwhile Seonghwa’s is completely covered in candles, even on the sides, to the point where it looks like a fireball. “Get it, cause you’re ancient now?” Yeosang says. “I’m nineteen you toddlers.” Seonghwa rolls his eyes.

Mingi and Yeosang sneak up behind the two birthday boys and smash their faces into the cakes once the candles are off and everyone in the room claps, Yunho trying to pick chunks out of his eyes, and get the clumps out off his floppy ears.

Hongjoong eats a bite of cake straight off of Seonghwa’s face, the two of them purring and Yunho’s stomach ache begins to twist his guts, and suddenly he’s reaching foreword to grab a bit of frosting off of his best friends cheek and suck it off his finger. Shit- fuck why did he do that? He’s trying not to freak Seonghwa out! But the older boy doesn’t seem to care, just grins back at Yunho, swiping a dollop off of the pup’s nose in return. The stomach ache subsides just a bit.

The following events consist of Yeosang revealing his “secret elixir of life and death”, a bright red jug with clearly visible chunks floating near the top that also happens to smell like vodka and pasta sauce, and then Wooyoung suggesting they all play truth or dare. Except if you chicken out you have to drink the elixir. 

“Those two idiots definitely planned this out.” Seonghwa whispers to Yunho as they all pile into the basement.

It’s probably been around an hour, Yeosang has drunk far too much for someone of his tolerance level, Yunho was dared to twerk in the middle of the street and its suburbs for fucks sake, right near the city so there were definitely people watching. The ‘“jury” still ruled it a fail since he didn’t move to the beat of the song and he had to take two shots of Yeosang’s death juice, which was absolutely rancid.

Wooyoung is trying so hard to get everyone drunk by pulling every stupid dare in the book and inevitably failing. 

“Truth. You can’t touch me.” Seonghwa smiles at the pup, crossing his arms like it’s a power move. Him and Hongjoong both haven’t left their seats on the couch.

“Coward!” Yeosang yells from where he’s splayed out on the beanbag, visibly tipsy.

“Challenge excepted, triangle ears. What’s the details of your relationship with Hongjoong over here, hm?”

Hongjoong just smirks, quirking an eyebrow up at Seonghwa next to him and Yunho stiffens up, willing his brain to calm the fuck down. 

“I second that... cmon Seonghwa you know it’ll come out eventually.” Yeosang chimes in. 

“We’re... we...” Seonghwa looks taken off-guard, blushing now, looking back and forth from Hongjoong to Wooyoung. Yunho pulls his knees up to his chest. Better to block this one out.

“I’ll give you a head start. Choi San’s party, okay cool, whatever. You’ve _still_ got a mystery hickey you never explained.”

“Wooyoung-“

“Is _this_.” Wooyoung points at Hongjoong. “Mystery hickey-man?”

“Wooyoung oh my god.” Mingi laughs nervously.

“What? Just cutting the bullshit already, we all want to know!”

No, Yunho wants to say, he certainly did _not_ want to know.

Hongjoong snorts, still managing to keep up his nonchalant, too-cool attitude. Yunho is holding his breath. Why is he holding his breath? Hongjoong looks at Seonghwa warmly. “Can I tell them?”

Seonghwa sighs, admitting defeat. “I don’t give a fuck, honestly.”

Hongjoong turns back to the eagerly awaiting crowd (Wooyoung and Yeosang) and says in the most serious voice. “Were running a drug ring. In the tunnels below the school, I’m honestly surprised you guys haven’t heard yet.”

“What the fuck?!” Both Yunho and Wooyoung exclaim at the same time. 

“Got em. We’re just friends with benefits. Fuckbuddies if you wanna get fancy.” Hongjoong chuckles at the two pups gullibility, high-fiving Seonghwa next to him.

Wait... fuckbuddies? Technically that would mean the two weren’t dating... but that also meant that Seonghwa had been meeting up with the guy for an indefinite amount of time since New Years to hook up. Alright, calm down... Seonghwa’s an adult, he can make these kind of decisions for himself, Yunho doesn’t need nor is required to know every acquaintance he makes, fuckbuddy or not. Why does he feel like he’s being clingy?

“See I knew it! Didn’t I tell you I’ve got a seventh sense?” 

Yeosang just hiccups, laying upside down on the beanbag. “Congrats on finally getting rid of your sexual repression, Seonghwa.”

The cat hybrid tries to argue with Yeosang that he was never sexually repressed, the fox hybrid claiming that his incessant nagging and cleaning habits are clear signs of a sexually-repressed individual, that “he should know, he’s best friends with one”. And Yunho.... needs to do something. He needs to leave, now. Stop listening to everyone, stop thinking about everything that’s going on. Air. He needs some fresh air.

And so, when everyone seems distracted battering Seonghwa and Hongjoong with questions, the tall pup manages to slip away up the stairs, finding himself at peace on the porch swing. Yunho takes a deep breath as he sits down, closing his eyes. Don’t think. Just don’t. He’s willing himself. Shit. He needs a drink. The only thing he has out here is that death juice shot glass. Double shit. Yunho thinks he really _really_ needs to sleep right now.

While the tall pup is in his mind, trying to come up with excuses as to why he wants to tap out of his own birthday party, the screen door opens with a drawn out, scratchy creak.

“Wanted to get away from your own party?”

Yunho turns his head towards the door, leaning back against the swing. “Just... needed some air. No big deal, Mingi.”

The tall canine shifts, ears angling back towards the door. “Should I give you some space...?”

Yunho thinks for a second. “You’re always welcome to invade my thoughts. Bring me back to the present already.”

“Gladly.” Mingi’s smile is warm and fuzzy with the string lights beaming down on the two canines. The wolf boy finds his seat next to Yunho and leans back, resting his arm on the side of the porch swing. The pup doesn’t mind, honestly, he could use some... solo company in this trying time.

Yunho picks his drink up from the floor and sips. Still tastes gross. He scrunches his face up and sets the drink back down.“Yeosang is nuts... how the fuck did he concoct this stuff...”

“I think I saw him and Wooyoung blending up tomatoes in the kitchen earlier...”

“That explains the red...” Yunho adds. Mingi giggles at that, eyes scrunching up under the soft light. 

Yunho continues. “Speaking of red... your hair is starting to fade... think you’ll get another dye soon?” The wolf hybrid’s cherry red had been reduced to a soft coral color.

“I... kinda want it to fade to pink. Think it’d look good?”

“It’ll look _stunning_.” Yunho does little sparkle motions with his hands. Mingi brushes a bit of hair out of his face and smiles. The pink complements the gray of his ears well just like red does, Yunho just hopes that Mingi’s roots are kind to him. 

There’s a silence after that, being filled up with the sound of crickets chirping away in Yunho’s front lawn. A car drives past and lights up the porch for just a moment, Mingi’s face turned towards the road now. He looks like he’s pondering saying something.

“Come on, Yunho quit the act... what’s wrong?” The wolf hybrid finally says, still not looking the pup in the eye.

Yunho takes a deep breath. Mingi was pretty perceptive, the pup was sure he’d notice eventually that Yunho wasn’t genuinely sunshiny, positive self tonight. The problem was, he himself didn’t know what was wrong, why he felt some kind of ugly, ache in his chest when Seonghwa was around, and all he could think about was how the older boy seemed so close to Hongjoong now. It was stupid, Yunho knew full and well it was stupid, but he couldn’t help but think it was because he had done something to him, had he been going about it the wrong way with the physical distancing?

Those are all thoughts that float around in Yunho’s mind the seconds after Mingi asks him what’s wrong, but all the golden-haired boy ends up saying is. “I think it’s hormones... or like, weird brain stuff. I can’t help but get so stuck up in there sometimes and then my mind starts making things up that... aren’t true.” 

He wasn’t lying, hormones and brain chemistry out of wack was his best logical guess at what might be happening. Whatever was wrong with him was going to effect Seonghwa sooner or later if... if he didn’t take the steps to heal their friendship once and for all.

“Is it... do you feel like it’s your presentation?”

It wasn’t the first thing he had thought of but... now that Mingi mentioned it... Maybe... maybe that was why his mind kept on confusing him lately? Yunho laughs nervously. “Does... do you get like, feelings? And stuff before it happens?”

“For me it was like a strong, innate wave getting bigger and bigger...” The tall boy pauses. “It was like... this feeling. It’s like there’s something brewing inside you and you’re just waiting for it to erupt... like a... like a horny gusher.” Mingi rattles off, using his hands expressively to imitate a volcanic eruption.

Yunho can’t help but laugh, hiding his face in his hand. “That’s disgusting, Mingi.”

“Dunno... maybe you and Wooyoung are rubbing off on me.”

Yunho puts a hand on his chest in mock offense. “Excuse you! Wooyoung’s got ten times as many nasty jokes up his sleeve I thought you and me were the innocent ones!”

“Oh please... you still laughed at his dick joke that one time in the middle of Mr Kwan’s lesson.”

“It was hilarious? How the hell _didn’t_ you laugh at it?”

“It wasn’t that hard, Yun. You’re just gross. Like Wooyoung.”

“I’m so offended right now... and on my birthday of all times!” Yunho laughs. This is great. Yunho already feels so much better just by talking to the wolf hybrid, he should remember to call Mingi up next time he was having these newfound... hormone troubles. Yunho sighs, gazing back out at the road. It’s quiet now, no cars in sight. The pup thinks he hears Seonghwa’s nagging voice coming from the house and figures Yeosang must have drunkenly acted up already. 

Mingi is rocking the swing back and forth steadily. Yunho smiles at him. “You’re so... at ease. It’s crazy really, Mingi you seem like... like you’ve got life figured out. How do you do it?

“I’m... I'm at ease around you... I guess. You make me happy, Yun.” The red-haired boy responds sincerely.

Yunho smiles. “Aw... you make me happy too, Mingi.” He tries nudging the other canine, but Mingi is facing him now. The wolf hybrid’s expression changed then and there, to one of fascination. Yunho perks his ears up. “You okay?”

The wolf hybrid sighs. “You’re so oblivious, Yunho...”

Mingi is looking at him, right into him it seems. Eyes lidded and full of intention. Yunho is still wondering what the wolf hybrid had even meant, but the way Mingi is moving now, closer and closer to Yunho, the pup has more pressing questions on his mind.

“You’re... so close now.”

“That’s... kind of the idea.”

Mingi is leaning in, the wolf hybrid’s eyes closed now. Yunho can see the details of his eyelashes with how close the two are, his plump lips slightly opened, head tilting to slot in with Yunho’s. And then suddenly, the dog hybrid has a hand on Mingi’s chest, effectively stopping him. 

Mingi’s eyes are wide, taken aback while Yunho struggles to form a sentence. The wolf hybrid shakes his head, quickly recovering. “I’m sorry.”

“Mingi wait-“

“I’m- I think I’m gonna go home early...”

“Mingi I’m sorry it’s just...”

“I know. Yunho, I know. I guess I was just... reading to far into things.” Mingi’s voice is wistful and full of regret, flitting his eyes back and forth before giving Yunho a look of sheer heartbreak and turning to leave.

Yunho tries to force another apology, something, _anything_ out of his mouth as he watches the red-haired boy trod down the driveway, taking one last glance back at the tall pup before walking out into the night. But he can’t, because what is there to say really? I like you back? You were wrong? He’d be lying just to try and make Mingi feel better. And so Yunho is left helpless to do anything. 

Fuck... Mingi... liked him? The idea was so foreign in his mind and yet... the wolf had tried to kiss him not a minute ago. On the lips. Yunho touches them carefully and... He can’t... he can’t do this right now... it’s just making him even more confused.

Yunho scrambles up the stairs to his room, not thinking once about his friends still down in the basement, unaware that anything was amiss. He’d rather keep it that way. Yunho lands face down on his bedsheets, and stays completely still, not wanting to trigger an emotion, a reaction. He certainly didn’t want the added stress of crying.

And it’s like that for several minutes, until there’s a tiny line of light coming from the door, creaking open ever so slightly. “Yunho?” It’s Seonghwa. Yunho takes one look at his best friend, pointy ears outlined by the light coming from outside his room. The cat hybrid moves to sit on his bed next to the pup, who hangs his head low, legs crossed on the mattress. Better now than never.

“I think I just ruined my friendship with Mingi...”

Seonghwa’s voice changes then to a concerned tone. “What happened? Or do you not want to..”

Seonghwa is cut off by Yunho leaning foreword and embracing him, fully this time. Arms wrapped all the way around, Seonghwa seemed so small in his hold. The cat hybrid relaxed, pressing back up against the taller boy and purring slightly. “Are we doing this again?” Yunho can practically hear Seonghwa smile. He can’t believe he just... did that. But then again Yunho is too tired and confused to try and rationalize how stupid he is for hugging Seonghwa off-guard.

The golden-haired boy can’t help but whimper, starting to break down now that Seonghwa was here. “I need you... right now.”

Seonghwa’s hand comes to rub his back. “I’ll tell everyone the party’s over.”

The room is silent for awhile as the older boy presumably rounds up the rest of their friends and sends them off. Yunho looks at Seonghwa questioningly when he returns, resuming his position on the bed.

“Aren’t... aren’t you going home with... Hongjoong?” The two felines had come here together, it wasn’t a far fetched question.

“You think I wouldn’t sleep over, pup? It’s our birthday party.” Seonghwa smiles and Yunho thinks he looks like an angel, right about now. “And you don’t want to talk?”

“No... not really.”

There’s silence, Seonghwa’s looks like he wants to say something, but he doesn’t. Just sits with it. And that’s a good thing, Yunho wasn’t really in the mood for questions and answers right now. His mind was jumbled as it is... trying to make sense of things didn’t always help them.

“Can... can you groom me... like we always used to? Back before I grew?” When the golden-haired boy was smaller, he could fit perfectly in Seonghwa’s lap while the older boy would purr away and groom him free of any tangles. Yunho knew he probably couldn’t sit in Seonghwa’s lap anymore but... he couldn’t help but miss it. Especially right now.

Seonghwa’s eyes widen just a bit, smiling slightly. “Are you ready to... to be close, again?” The cat hybrid asks like he’s been waiting for Yunho to request cuddling him this whole time. Fuck, Yunho feels stupid.

Yunho looks back at him. “Yes... if you are...?” Yunho would beat himself up for potentially distancing himself from his best friend for so many months for no fucking reason but... he’s so tired. All he wants is to... not think. About Mingi, his hormones, his birthday, Mingi, Hongjoong, Seonghwa losing his virginity, did he mention Mingi? Yunho can’t help but remember the night Seonghwa ran off and how the same thing just happened but with his wolf friend. Is this a running theme? Is he going to keep on losing the people he cares about this way...

Maybe since... he hadn’t been expressing himself truthfully, maybe Seonghwa sensed it. And it only made him wary too. Fuck, he felt stupid.

Seonghwa’s giggles are like wind chimes, ringing sweetly in Yunho’s ears. “I’d like nothing more, pup.”

Right... Seonghwa is right here. He’s right here still. Even if there’s been so much wasted time, even if it seemed like things were changing.... too fast for Yunho to think straight... Seonghwa was still right here. And right now, all Yunho wants is for things to be just like they were when the two of them were little. Simple, sweet, careless. Like all things should be he figures. And because he doesn’t care anymore, he doesn’t feel as bad about laying his head in Seonghwa’s lap, gazing up at his best friend blearily.

Seonghwa starts at the back of his hair, moving to groom the fur on his floppy ears and Yunho slowly begins to close his eyes, feeling like a baby all wrapped up in Seonghwa’s embrace. The older boy’s purring heightens and Yunho can feel the soft vibrations under him as he curls closer in Seonghwa’s lap. It reminds him of simpler times.

The cat hybrid... smells so good recently. The scent makes the pup feel like he’s floating in a pool of rose water and Yunho isn’t even sure if it’s perfume or shampoo or whatever because it’s similar to his canine friend’s personal scents after they’ve presented... but normally felines don’t have any strong scent. Seonghwa’s is toned down definitely, more subtle than Yeosang’s clean sheet scent or Wooyoung’s peppermint. 

Still though, it’s comforting... and fitting for Seonghwa especially. 

The cat hybrid’s tail flits around to flick at Yunho’s nose, and the dog hybrid reaches out to hold it gently, pressing the soft fluffy tail up against his face like a plushie. “I feel little.” Yunho mumbles, brain jumbled. No thinking. Just sleep. 

Seonghwa laughs, looking down at the tall boy curled up like a baby in his lap so fondly. “You’re talking nonsense, Yunho...”

“Don’t care.” Yunho says, wiping the last bit of moisture from his cheek.

“He’s gonna come back, you know that right? You didn’t ruin your friendship with him.”

Yunho whimpers, slightly annoyed that Seonghwa brought Mingi back up when he was just about to fall asleep. “He looked heartbroken, Hyung.”

“Well maybe he was...” Seonghwa’s voice was gentle and understanding, like that of a concerned parent. “But he’s also your friend. When you care about someone... you can’t be away from them for long or it starts to hurt. A lot. Trust me, I know better than you think.”

Yunho huffs. “I can’t believe _you’re_ being the optimistic one in this situation for once Hyung...”

“You seem like you need it.”

“Mmh... I need to sleep and... not think. Please.” Yunho is face down, smushed into Seonghwa’s thigh. He hopes it isn’t uncomfortable for the cat hybrid because the taller boy doesn’t feel like he’s going anywhere anytime soon.

Seonghwa purrs, running his fingers through the pup’s golden locks. “Sweet dreams, little pup.”

And for the first time in almost a year, Yunho feels like the world could go to hell all around him, and he’d still feel safe swept up in Seonghwa’s arms.

_______

.

..

...

Seonghwa is knee-deep in books and open tabs on his laptop, typing away at his literature homework in the deepest part of the academy library when he gets the phone call.

The screen is lit up with a familiar picture of Yunho sticking his tongue out and winking against a solid black background, a soft memory from their night escapade not too long ago. Strange. Him and the pup would sometimes text and call each other at the nights Seonghwa isn’t sleeping over, but it isn’t often the dog hybrid called him during the day. Especially when Seonghwa is in the middle of study time. 

Maybe he needed to talk again. Seonghwa knew him and Mingi were taking space ever since the... birthday confession gone wrong. The cat hybrid had seen if coming in the end but that didn’t mean he hadn’t felt for his best friend. Seonghwa had been staying over at Yunho’s house every other night, like he did when they were little, consoling the pup on the subject. He figures he needs a water break and picks up Yunho’s call as he exits the library, heading to the vending machine down the hall.

“Yunho? You there?”

There’s no answer at first. 

_“Hyung... Hyung please... please I don’t... I didn’t-“_ Yunho’s voice sounds fatigued and breathy, like the boy had been running a marathon.

Seonghwa scrambles over into the restrooms, feeling the need for privacy. “Woah woah Yunho, slow down... calm down. What is it?” 

Yunho’s didn’t respond right away, and instead Seonghwa just heard what sounded like the rustling of fabric through the phone. The cat hybrid’s tail puffs up a bit.

“Yunho, pup? Are you there?” Seonghwa is concerned now. Yunho only gets this freaked out in select situations. Something must be really wrong.

“ _I’m... I’m here. Hyung you need to- fuck._ ” Yunho breaks off abruptly, followed by more rustling sounds. “You need to get something for me Hyung I can’t- I ca-“

“Yunho, are you sick? Or hurt... I’ll get you whatever it is just what’s going on.” Seonghwa covers his other ear to block out the noise as a group of canine students barge into the restroom and all gather in several stalls. Great. There’s just heavy breathing on Yunho’s end of the line as Seonghwa begins to smell what is definitely pot coming from the other stall. “Yunho, pup please talk to me... or tell me what it is you need, you’re scaring me.”

“ _Hyung..._ ” Yunho’s voice is weak. “ _I’m... Hyung I’m presenting.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun dun dun~ our poor Yunho can’t seem to catch a break 
> 
> hope you enjoyed reading! next chapter is... a fun one let me say. hope you’re all excited!!


	10. Giving In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tenth chapter! finally we’ve come so far...
> 
> just a fair warning... this chapter is honestly just 6k words of smut. sorry not sorry
> 
> hope you all enjoy!

_For every canine hybrid, wether they be a Dalmatian or a Fennec Fox, from the ages of fifteen to eighteen, their hormone balances would begin to develop, causing the canine hybrid to present as one of three placements, those being alpha beta or omega._

_”Hyung... Hyung, I think it’s a rut... it’s a fucking rut and I need-“ _Yunho sounded desperate and devastated. Seonghwa’s eyes had widened at that, fluffy tail beginning to spike up and foot tapping anxiously at the tile floor. The sounds of the kids chatting in the stall next to him were drowned out by his thoughts.__

__

__Alpha. Scents, presenting, knotting. Seonghwa thought the universe might have it out for Yunho giving him the one placement he had been dreading. It was cruel, in his opinion._ _

__

__Yunho had explained that the pain was immeasurable, that he felt like he couldn’t breath at times, like his lungs were about to collapse with energy. The pup hadn’t known who else to call since his eomma was out of town, and he definitely hadn’t prepared for this to spring on him all at once. Yunho had pleaded with Seonghwa through the phone to do something, anything for him. To please get him something to get rid of it, that he’d pay him later, just to get it now. That he was helpless._ _

__

__“Give me fifteen minutes, pup.”_ _

__

__And that’s how Seonghwa finds himself having a mental stare down with the small glowing ‘open’ sign of a sex and bdsm store further into town. The cat hybrid can’t imagine having to explain to his parents why he skipped out on class for this._ _

__

__Now, Seonghwa is an established adult at this point, he thinks he should be able to walk into a sex shop without feeling the need to hide behind his mother’s skirt. He shops for lingerie all the time so how could this be any different? He still feels like an absolute idiot when his eyes widen comically at a particularly interesting dildo mold or a strange role play outfit displayed on the mannequins in the back room. The sexy maid costume in particular was intriguing but Seonghwa shook his head before letting his mind delve any further. He needs to focus. He’s here for Yunho._ _

__

__Seonghwa checks out of the shop promptly and catches the bus to the edge of town, checking again and again to make sure the plastic bag wasn’t see-through so as no one could see the clearly labeled fleshlight he was carrying around._ _

__

__The cat hybrid swallows nervously when he reaches the front door._ _

__

__“Hello?” Seonghwa calls out, closing the door behind him. It’s pointless. Yunho was probably long out of commission by now, if Seonghwa knew anything about ruts... which he didn’t. The process of maybe looking something up on the subject didn’t cross his mind though as he carefully made his way upstairs and down the hall to Yunho’s bedroom. It’s quiet throughout the whole house. He knocks on the door._ _

__

__“Yunho, pup! Can you hear me?” Seonghwa knocks._ _

__

__“Hyung... Hyung.... oh my fucking-“ Yunho’s voice sounds rough from the other side, the pup seems to be right next to the door, like he’d been waiting on Seonghwa for awhile. “Hyung thank- fuck...”_ _

__

__Seonghwa’s heart aches. Yunho sounds so... pained. “I’ve got this for you, pup, just- can I open the door?” Seonghwa takes the fleshlight out of the bag. There’s silence. Then the sound of the door clicking open, and his friends clammy hand reaches through the crack. Seonghwa hands Yunho the fleshlight and the door clicks closed._ _

__

__“Th- thank you, Hyung.... thank you so, so much...” Yunho sounds out of it, almost completely. What now?_ _

__

__“Do you want me to go now, pup...?” Seonghwa crosses his arms and presses his pointy ear up against the door. Again, there’s silence... and then Yunho’s parched voice is heard, less clear this time._ _

__

__“Stay.... Please... Hyung...”_ _

__

__Seonghwa nods to himself and slumps down onto the floor, back facing the door and head hunched. The only thing he could do now is wait and hope Yunho makes it out in one piece._ _

__

__It’s another thirty minutes of Seonghwa typing away on his phone, telling his parents he won’t be home tonight before Yunho makes himself known again, this time via a loud thump clearly heard from outside the door. Seonghwa’s ears alert and the cat hybrid presses his head up against the wood again. “Yunho? Are you okay?” He asks worriedly._ _

__

__There’s a groan. A long, drawn out one echoing into the hallway. Seonghwa flinches. Not good. “Yunho?” He calls out again._ _

__

__This time, Yunho answers immediately. “Hyung... Seonghwa Hyung...” Yunho’s voice is breathy. “It’s.. it’s not- it’s not helping anymore...” There’s a sob. Yunho must be crying._ _

__

__Seonghwa’s mind flashes back to the time Wooyoung told them about his first heat, a horror story in and of itself. The pup had clearly said trying to recreate the real thing never worked, that it was imperative that the alpha or omega going through a heat or rut would be aided by another hybrid. It made sense when you look at biology, really, a means of reproduction and such. At least that’s what Yunho said they learnt in class. Of fucking course the fleshlight didn’t work. Whoever decided ruts and heats were the solution to fast reproduction must have been out of their minds._ _

__

__“Hyung...” Yunho breaths out again._ _

__

__Seonghwa is hesitant to respond, trying to think through the situation at hand. “Yes, Yunho?”_ _

__

__“You smell like... like roses, Hyung... it’s so sweet..” He drawls, voice breathier than ever._ _

__

__Seonghwa... wasn’t wearing any perfume or even used a rose-scented shampoo at all... Did he give off a distinguishable scent? All the canine hybrid’s had always said the older boy’s scent was unrecognizable, that the whole scenting culture was purely a canine thing. Why was Yunho going on about his scent?_ _

__

__Seonghwa shakes his head, leaning against the door and pulling up the contacts list on his phone, scrolling urgently. He needed to find Yunho an omega... a beta, an alpha... anyone they knew who could possibly be willing to help Yunho through this... the way it was meant to happen._ _

__

__The cat hybrid knew a lot of canines got their friends to help with their ruts if they were really desperate... it was a fairly common practice to have a friends with benefits thing going on until they found their own partner. Right, good. They’ve got plenty of canine friends they could potentially ask. But then... no they didn’t._ _

__

__Seonghwa would have tried asking Mingi first. The wolf hybrid seemed close enough to Yunho and the most likely candidate Yunho would be okay with, plus no chance of pregnancy there. But him and Yunho were on awkward terms right now... the wolf boy would never want to open up his wounds so soon by helping his unrequited crush through a rut... Seonghwa wouldn’t want to pin that responsibility on him. Wooyoung was out of the question because of his boyfriend. Yeosang would _never_ , Seonghwa crosses him off the list immediately. That would just be weird for the both of them, and the cat hybrid is sure Yunho wouldn’t want to force that onto the fox hybrid anyways._ _

__

__They could always... ask someone random from their school. Would Yunho want to have sex with a stranger? Unlikely... the pup was scared of everything that came with the subject, sex, ruts, anything to do with it. Losing his virginity to a total stranger... Yunho would freak out._ _

__

__Seonghwa wants to do anything else... rock him to sleep, purr until his eyes closed, sing to his best friend... all the things he’s done that have helped him in the past... but those are useless. Seonghwa is utterly unable to help his best friend in this situation..._ _

__

__But... wait. Is he?_ _

__

__In retrospect the idea sounded simple and straightforward. Seonghwa already had a friends with benefits relationship going on, so he knew the ins and outs, and Hongjoong had told Seonghwa he should experiment with other people and that the tabby would be fine with it. Yunho needed a warm body to fuck in this time, simple as that, and Seonghwa was right here, ready and available._ _

__

__The problem was that Seonghwa was a feline hybrid, Yunho was a canine. And Seonghwa had no idea how Yunho felt about that situation, if he thought it was wrong or strange or whatever. They’ve never discussed dating or getting married between hybrids as a political topic, and just because Seonghwa had a suppressed crush on Yunho doesn’t mean Yunho would ever be attracted to him. Seonghwa is actually quite certain the pup didn’t._ _

__

__On the other hand, Seonghwa being a feline could be seen as wonderfully convenient. They were both clean, known via the academy’s monthly std testings, and their differing hybrid types meant Yunho wouldn’t be able to give Seonghwa a baby. That knocked two barriers out of the park that may not have been possible if he was a canine._ _

__

__But Seonghwa still... had feelings for him. Would this... would this just make things worse?_ _

__

__“Yunho, I need to know... if..” Seonghwa cringes at his words. He can’t believe he’s doing this. “Yunho, if you need me... I’m here. Any way you need, pup. Im okay with it.”_ _

__

__Seonghwa can hear Yunho slumping against the door. “It doesn’t have to mean anything, pup, it can be purely for convenience. I fuck around with Hongjoong all the time, it’s not a strange thing... unless of course you don’t want to because of... me being a feline.”_ _

__

__No answer still._ _

__

__“It’s up to you, Yunho.”_ _

__

__There’s the longest silence, just course breathing from the other side of the door. Seonghwa curses himself, ready to leave in shame. He feels stupid. Why would he even suggest that he help Yunho? The pup wasn’t... messed up like he was, not even close. Seonghwa curls in on himself, awaiting Yunho’s response._ _

__

__“Come here.”_ _

__

__And there it was. What the fuck has Seonghwa gotten himself into._ _

__

__“You’re positive, pup..?” Seonghwa nervously asked. Yunho was clearly not in the state of mind to think things through like he usually would. If they’re going to do this, Seonghwa wants to make sure it’s entirely consensual._ _

__

__“I need something, anything... I feel like I’m gonna go crazy.”_ _

__

__“I’ll be-“ Seonghwa blinks. No turning back now, this was the path he’d chosen. “I’ll be there in a second, Yunho.”_ _

__

__It’s a few steps to the bathroom, but they feel like a ten-mile hike in this moment. Seonghwa leans himself against the sink cupboard, pumping several squirts of lubricant he had retrieved from under the sink onto his fingers to encourage slick production, and reached down between his legs. It’s not an unfamiliar feeling, the cat hybrid has fingered himself many times before, but the anxiety of the situation at hand is setting in with him, and Seonghwa finds himself having to take deep breaths to calm down before actually inserting his fingers. It’s a smooth process. His body was made for this after all, how bad could a little rut be?_ _

__

__Once he’s done the minimal amount of stretching, and gotten some slick to start leaking as well, Seonghwa turns the doorknob and a tiny creak echoed into the room as the door tilted open._ _

__

__Yunho is strewn out on his bed, naked chest heaving and lower body concealed by bunched up sheets. There’s clothes scattered across the floor, a box of tissues next to the bed post, and the fleshlight discarded in the corner. Yunho looks up at Seonghwa blearily and doesn’t even seem to recognize him as Seonghwa crouches next to the bed, placing a hand on Yunho’s forehead and wiping the sweat there._ _

__

__“Little pup...” The cat hybrid coos at Yunho. The dog hybrid is anything but little, really. Seonghwa hadn’t seen him shirtless in quite a while, and his physique had changed drastically since then. He didn’t have a raging eight-pack per say, but he did have noticeable ab lines and shoulder muscles, lean and dappled with sweat. “The day finally came, huh..”_ _

__

__“It _hurts_.” Yunho’s eyes look like they’re going back and forth between wanting to eat Seonghwa whole and then wanting to cower in fear. He can’t imagine how the boy might be feeling right now, the cat hybrid is just glad Yunho’s letting him help the pup through this. _ _

__

__Seonghwa tries not to look to far into it. Yunho needed a warm body to fuck with right now. The cat hybrid was just the most convenient option. Nothing more to it._ _

__

__“Should I help you?”_ _

__

__“I...” Yunho trails off, just nodding in return._ _

__

__Seonghwa gets up onto the bed, positioned above Yunho and tentatively begins uncovering the younger boy from the sheets bunched around his groin and... _fuck_... Yunho is fully hard and quite big. Definitely bigger than Hongjoong and most definitely bigger than Seonghwa’s two or three fingers. The tip is smooth and leaking precum steadily like a faucet and theres prominent veins going up the shaft and fuck- Seonghwa briefly wonders if he might get split in two if he tries to take that thing with how little he was able to stretch himself._ _

__

__Yunho whines and buries his face into the cat hybrid’s shoulder, presumably not to make eye contact as Seonghwa eyes up his dick. Even if Yunho was in a rut-induced state right now, it seems he still retained his embarrassment. It was cute. The dark haired boy just tuts at him, rubbing circles into the dog hybrid’s skin to make him feel safe. Seonghwa still inwardly prays that his ass will somehow un-tense and adjust to the size he’s about to take._ _

__

__Breathing in Yunho’s scent, the pup smells like peaches and cream right now. Seonghwa remembers his canine friends all saying they smelt different after presenting, and Seonghwa being a feline hybrid had never noticed. He wonders why he can sense it now._ _

__

__“Hyung... Seonghwa Hyung...” Yunho breaths out, and Seonghwa can feel the energy rising in the boy steadily. He won’t be able to hold back much longer, the older boy figured._ _

__

__“What do you need, pup?”_ _

__

__Yunho doesn’t respond, just begins to grind up against Seonghwa’s thigh, hands around the base of the cat hybrid’s back, shifting steadily up against his clothed skin. The younger boy has his face still buried ashamedly in Seonghwa’s neck, nosing persistently at the skin there. He didn’t know that going through a rut would make the dog hybrid act so... cute. And shy. Seonghwa lets him, beginning to purr so as to calm the dog hybrid down but that must only spur him even further because the thrusting gets stronger and more erratic as Yunho moans softly into his neck. Right. Vibrations. Right._ _

__

__The dog hybrid suddenly moves his hands down Seonghwa’s back to smooth over his fluffy tail, and the cat hybrid squeaks and stiffens up in surprise, arching his back involuntarily into the contact as Yunho continued to move down his tail, stroking over it as it coiled under his touch. Yunho was petting him as he humped his leg..._ _

__

__“I’m cumming, Hyung I’m gonna cum. Please-“ Yunho whimpers out into Seonghwa’s neck, the pace of his thrusts getting messier, Seonghwa moves his hand down to touch gently at Yunho’s hip as the taller boy groans and comes on Seonghwa’s pants. The two of them are breathing heavily now, Yunho’s body thrumming from his orgasm, trembling in Seonghwa’s hold. The older boy just purrs subtly, pressing a little kiss onto his best friend’s forehead._ _

__

__What he wasn’t expecting, was for Yunho to regain his gusto so quickly, grabbing a hold of Seonghwa and hastily maneuvering them so that the cat hybrid is below him, the younger boy beginning to pull at Seonghwa’s shirt and whine._ _

__

__“Pup.. pup wait... we need a safe word...” Seonghwa remembers his first time with Hongjoong, and how the tabby had implemented the practice with them._ _

__

__Yunho blinks hazily, probably overwhelmed from having another person in the room with him. “Safe...?”_ _

__

__“Like if either of us need to stop at any time, we can say the safeword.”_ _

__

__Yunho blinks, but seems to understand through the rut-induced high. “Right... yeah you’re right... thanks for remembering, Hyung...” Yunho whines again, tail thumping against the rumpled sheets and head moving again to nose at Seonghwa, running his lips over the skin under his ear._ _

__

__“Petals...” Yunho mutters, breathing slow and steady now against the older boy’s neck, kissing repeatedly at his skin, nipping hesitantly every now and then._ _

__

__“You want that to be the safeword, pup?” Seonghwa giggles at his best friends contented scenting. He was acting like an overexcited puppy. He figures that Yunho’s instincts must be over the moon to finally have someone to help him after probably hours of being alone._ _

__

__“Mmhm...” Yunho mumbles from Seonghwa’s neck, lapping generously at the spot between his collarbone. Seonghwa guesses it must be where his scent is the strongest._ _

__

__Seonghwa purrs at the younger boy and begins to pull both his own jeans and underwear down, placing them in a neat pile next to the pup’s bed. Yunho pulls back, pink tongue still hanging out and wags his tail hurriedly when he sees that Seonghwa’s bottom is now exposed, delighted at the sight._ _

__

__“Here, pup..” Seonghwa shifts himself, pulling his own thighs up and slightly leaning against the taller boy, folding his legs near his chest to allow Yunho access to his hole._ _

__

__“I... Hyung... is okay?” Yunho murmurs cautiously._ _

__

__“I’m okay, Yunho.”_ _

__

__And at that, the taller boy lines that fucking... meat sword... up with Seonghwa’s soft little hole. The cat hybrid braces himself but stops when nothing happens. He looks up at his best friend questioningly. Yunho’s eyes are shadowed by his hair, all Seonghwa can see of the boy is his body, looming over the cat hybrid, the tip of his cock pressing against his fluttering hole ever so slightly. But not moving at all. Yunho is hesitating._ _

__

__“Yunho?” Seonghwa puts a hand on the boy’s shoulder._ _

__

__“Can- can I move?”_ _

__

__The air between them is still, Seonghwa feels like time might have slowed down in this moment, only the sounds of their rapidly beating hearts, Yunho’s muscles tensed above him._ _

__

__“Yes.”_ _

__

__Yunho doesn’t give Seonghwa time to adjust, pressing into his heat in one go and holy shit Seonghwa feels like his body is being ripped apart, breathing deeply and urging his muscles to relax. Yunho is hot and throbbing inside of him, Seonghwa can hear the pup’s pulse going crazy right next to him. The taller boy shrouds over him, hands touching up and down Seonghwa’s stressed body and finding their way to his waist._ _

__

__“Seonghwa Hyung....” Yunho sounds... parched. Or starved almost. “You’re so _tight_... and warm.”_ _

__

__Seonghwa can feel his face heat up as the pup grinds up into him deep, fingers pressing into his hipbones. All the cat hybrid can do to prepare is lay his hands out next to him and brace himself._ _

__

__Yunho begins to move, slow and steady, thrusting in and out of Seonghwa to a tempo. Seonghwa knows he must be holding back somewhat, trying his best to be gentle even with the urge to press in deeper, and he’s grateful. The cat hybrid yelps out softly with his mouth slightly open, eyes lidded over and willing his body to relax and loosen up as Yunho thrusts in particularly deep. As if on command, Seonghwa can feel himself producing more slick, easing the slide of Yunho’s cock and turning the strong burn to a pleasant ache._ _

__

__The pup begins to go faster at that, quickly accelerating, thrusts getting rougher and deeper. Seonghwa thinks he hears Yunho growl between movements, and fuck- the taller boy’s cock reaches so deep inside him, he feels almost like it’s prodding at his belly. Seonghwa wraps his arms around the back of Yunho’s neck, so that their chest almost touch, trying his energy to muffle his noises._ _

__

__Not a few minutes in and Seonghwa begins to feel a little less give in Yunho’s thrusts, small pressure forming at his rim. “I’m gonna knot you, Hyung... I’m gonna knot you now...” Yunho gasps out. The dog hybrid is clutching Seonghwa now, body completely wrapped over him_ _

__

__Seonghwa can feel Yunho’s knot beginning to catch on his rim as it gets bigger and the dog hybrid just keeps on grinding up into Seonghwa, even when the knot keeps him lodged inside._ _

__

__The cat hybrid gasps out when Yunho cums inside him, sliding against his prostate, the pup wrapping his arms around his back and pulling him closer, nosing at his neck again, kissing and moaning into the skin there. Seonghwa knew alphas were equipped with “special” abilities when it came to reproducing but _this_ , this was over-kill. _ _

__

__Yunho pumped the first wave of seed into Seonghwa, then the second, and the cat hybrid can feel it filling him up, warming his lower belly. It’s a pleasant feeling nonetheless, and Seonghwa can sense himself beginning to purr low and subdued, tail curling in pleasure. The dog hybrid’s knot makes it impossible for him to pull out, effectively plugging Yunho’s come up inside of Seonghwa._ _

__

__The cat hybrid comes soon after the last wave, releasing in small spurts onto his and Yunho’s chests. He feels... achy. And warm. And twitchy. Overall, not sure wether or not it’s a bad feeling._ _

__

__Meanwhile Yunho is breathing in and out rapidly, blinking and running his eyes over Seonghwa’s features like being woken from a dream._ _

__

__“Yunho... Yunho are you okay?”_ _

__

__“Hyung, Hyung I- oh fuck Hyung...” Yunho is panicking again, holding Seonghwa’s sides and seeming to examine him for any sign of hurt. Seonghwa shushes the boy and purrs softly, Yunho moaning at the vibrations now all around his length. Shit. No purring. Don’t purr. At least not now._ _

__

__“This is- this is the cool down period... in between... theres- oh fuck, _Hyung_ ” Yunho presses his forehead into the pillow next to Seonghwa. “Hyung... promise me... if you get scared, if I do anything you need to hit me, kick me, do whatever and run. Out the door. You got it?” Seonghwa wants to comfort the pup when he says that. The poor boy obviously had his mind made up about alphas... but so far Yunho hasn’t tried to force anything onto Seonghwa at all. If anything he had gotten more docile._ _

__

__“O- okay Yunho but I’m- How many more times do you need to...”_ _

__

__“Maybe one more, maybe two.” Yunho swallows, sweat dripping off his forehead._ _

__

__Two more rounds of this? One had already made him feel exhausted, to have to take two more... Seonghwa’s respect for omegas has risen significantly. It’s no wonder canines have much higher birth rates than felines if they’re doing _this_ every month. _ _

__

__“Do-do you want out...?” Yunho looks concerned, but Seonghwa can sense the dog hybrid silently begging him not to go. Seonghwa made a commitment. He didn’t want Yunho to have to go through what Wooyoung did during his presentation._ _

__

__“I can stay pup.”_ _

__

__“Thank- thank you...” Yunho’s knot is already beginning to go down, the pup’s eyes going glassy with arousal again._ _

__

__They wait for probably three more minutes, Yunho’s eyes tearing up, crying silently into Seonghwa’s shoulder. The cat hybrid can’t even begin to try and calm him down before the knot is down and Yunho pulls back, muttering quickly that he’s going to pump in a second round. Seonghwa takes a deep breath as the taller boy begins to thrust slowly again, wet sounds coming out of his hole leftover from the first round. Seonghwa cringes. That was going to be a bitch to clean later._ _

__

__Yep, Yunho is definitely growling, getting more and more forceful now that it’s the second round, the pups hips seeming almost like they’re moving on their own. Seonghwa lets his body lay back into Yunho’s strong arms, spent and tired already, feeling the dull throb of the pup’s cock pulsing in and out. He’s perfectly content to let Yunho do all the work._ _

__

__But when Yunho’s cock moves against Seonghwa’s sensitive prostate, the cat hybrid can’t help but let out a high-pitched, sharp moan that almost sounded like a little yelp. Even in his rut-induced state, Yunho seems to get the idea and grips Seonghwa’s hips even tighter, almost to the point of bruising his skin. The pup begins to target that spot, length repeatedly stroking up against the soft fleshy gland, Seonghwa arching his back deliciously against the sheets as Yunho’s pace increases even more. He feels overwhelmed and sensitive all over, every touch sending his nerves into hyperdrive._ _

__

__Yunho’s movements this time... they aren’t characteristic of the unsure, embarrassed pup he was at all and Seonghwa was very much aware of this. The taller boy’s mind was probably in a rut-induced high right now, making his instincts more at the front of his actions._ _

__

__The cat hybrid begins to let out tiny mewling noises, breathy and helpless sounding as Yunho’s cock grinds up against that sweet spot, grabbing at Yunho’s back muscles as his body spasms. The older boy didn’t even know he could feel like this... so throbbing and sensitive and... full. He could only describe it as euphoric..._ _

__

__Seonghwa watches as Yunho takes up the cat hybrid’s tail and places it against his cheek, caressing the fluffy thing endearingly as he continued to drive into the poor cat hybrid’s hole like a machine. The pup gasps then._ _

__

__“Hyung.. Hyung I’m gonna- fuck...”_ _

__

__Seonghwa is letting out hiccupy little noises now, feeling overstimulated and spent as Yunho pumps a second load, filling the smaller boy with more and more come til he feels as if he might overflow with it, spreading warmth in his tummy. Even now with it being the second round... Seonghwa knows he can’t take any more of this. His body is on fire, even Yunho seems to be out of energy, slumping against Seonghwa’s form below him loosely. Seonghwa pats his best friends back, running a hand over the smooth muscle there. He closes his eyes as Yunho moves to look back down at him._ _

__

__“That- that was... mmh pup...” Seonghwa opens his eyes back up to see Yunho looking down at him expectantly, eyes wide like he’s listening to a suspenseful story._ _

__

__“Was... did Hyung feel good?” Yunho asks weakly._ _

__

__Seonghwa purrs. Why is Yunho so... cute all of a sudden. It catches him off guard, how the pup is going from pounding him like an animal to acting like an eager, affectionate puppy. Are most alpha ruts like this, he wonders. “Yes, pup it was good, Yunho you did so well.” Seonghwa was genuinely proud of his best friend for... getting through this in one piece. And letting him help him as well._ _

__

__The pup glomps foreword onto Seonghwa, cock still plugging up his hole snugly, holding him tight and wagging his tail erratically behind him like he’s just been given an award. At this point Seonghwa wants to just get the pup’s knot out of him and go jerk off in the bathroom, probably cry a little on the way out. And then sleep, and hopefully deal with the regret and self-hatred in the morning. But one look into his best friend’s eyes and- shit._ _

__

__Yunho looks... high, and he probably is, so far gone. Seonghwa definitely should have done his research about ruts before coming here because... he had thought the rut had ended already, but the way Yunho’s knot doesn’t seem to be going down indicates that it isn’t. And the pup still seems to be stuck in that rut-induced affection overload with the way he’s still nosing at his neck, lapping at the skin there._ _

__

__The dog hybrid leans back to look up and down at Seonghwa’s form lazily, before moving his head back from Seonghwa’s neck to his collarbones, latching onto his skin. Seonghwa didn’t even know where the pup had learned how to give hickeys but he laid back helplessly as Yunho sucked bloom after bloom into his skin, marking him up neatly._ _

__

__“Omega...” Yunho’s gaze is locked on Seonghwa’s body, running a big hand down his front, spreading out his fingers over the cat hybrid’s belly and smiling. Seonghwa doesn’t even care that Yunho called him omega because the attention he’s giving his body right now is absolutely delightful. The older boy lets out a weak little moan when Yunho moves his eyes down to his leaking cock, touching it gently, pressing his finger into head, all while keeping his other hand splayed over Seonghwa’s stomach._ _

__

__When Seonghwa comes, crying out and spurting weakly over his and Yunho’s chests, the pup leans back and licks up every bit he can reach. Yunho mumbles out another. “Pretty omega...” as he cleans him, taking extra care to lap generously at his perky nipples, laving at the little brown buds like he would draw something out of them. Yunho finishes up by swiping the last drops of Seonghwa’s cum over his fingers and licking them up as well. It should be gross but Seonghwa just finds it oddly endearing, Yunho licking him clean. Probably an alpha thing._ _

__

__Seonghwa, exhausted and spent, falls into deep sleep in Yunho’s arms, cradled by the scent of peaches and the low contented hum of his best friends soft breathing, chest moving up and down skin to skin. Seonghwa feels like he sleeps for eons._ _

__

__________ _

__

__Yunho is half asleep, warm and comfy, feeling almost like he’s floating on a cloud... in a field of roses. The scent of rose petals is all around him, surrounding his senses like a fog, filling his nose and lulling him like a baby. He’d like to stay in bed forever._ _

__

__But the illusion is broken when the dog hybrid opens his eyes to be met with the sight of Seonghwa’s soft black hair, Yunho’s nose being buried in it. The cat hybrid’s pointy ears flick in his sleep as Yunho gradually comes to fruition as to what had happened._ _

__

__“ _What. The. Fuck._ ” Yunho whispers to himself. The pup was half sure the whole of last night was just a really freaky hyper realistic wet dream he’d get over in therapy but this... this felt very real. Even more real when Seonghwa stirred against Yunho and shifted his hips a bit, whining in his sleep, which made the dog hybrid realize that his cock was very much still lodged inside Seonghwa and had very much been like that the entire night. What the-_ _

__

___“Fuck!”_ Yunho jerked himself away from the cat hybrid, hands frantically pulling at the covers, unceremoniously slipping his member from Seonghwa’s heat with a very un-sexy squelch that probably hurt on Seonghwa’s part. The cat hybrid jumped the moment Yunho started freaking out and blearily turned to face the boy, tail puffed up. “What is wrong with you?” _ _

__

__Seonghwa is met with the scene of Yunho grabbing at the sheets in an effort to cover himself, blushing all the way down his chest and all the way up his ears like he’d just been caught cheating or something. The cat hybrid looks miffed but effectively calms down to to try and comfort the panicking younger boy._ _

__

__“Yunho _calm_. Calm down, pup you’re okay... here...” Seonghwa leans foreword to rub the dog hybrid’s back, and Yunho soon began to ease his rapid breathing, blinking several times to truly confirm that yes, this is real._ _

__

__“Did... did we like... do the thing or..?” Yunho_ _

__

__“We fucked if that’s what you’re asking.” Seonghwa says nonchalantly, crossing his arms and flicking his tail from where he’s sitting on the bed, nether regions still on display. Upon further inspection Yunho notices the very obvious brown and purple marks blooming in little clusters all over Seonghwa’s neck, and chest, littering his collarbones and fuck- Yunho didn’t even think he knew how to give hickeys..._ _

__

__The golden haired boy feels like he might pass out from pure shock and embarrassment. He can feel his ears burning and he knows they’re probably tomato-red at this point._ _

__

__“I didn’t... hurt you did I?” Yunho needs to be sure. He remembers everything to an extent but the amount of control he really had over his instincts last night was... not a lot. And those claim marks are definitely telling._ _

__

__“No... pup of course you didn’t.. why would you think-“ Seonghwa winces just then, keeling over onto the mattress in pain, exposing his backside for Yunho to see. There’s dribbles of cloudy white liquid slowly leaking out from between Seonghwa’s asscheeks and Yunho wants to die or hide in a hole or do anything other than be where he is now._ _

__

__But he doesn’t, because the feeling of guilt quickly overrides the feelings of embarrassment and Yunho is reaching forward. “Hyung what the hell did I do... what the hell did we do, Hyung I didn’t mean for-“_ _

__

__“I know, pup. Just... get a wet towel. We can talk about it later.”_ _

__

__“Right. Right I’ll- I’ll clean you up..” Yunho obediently hops off the bed, momentarily cringing at his nakedness before grabbing a pair of sweatpants from his drawers, and skipping off to the bathroom._ _

__

__Yunho looks at himself in the mirror upon entering. He looks slightly disheveled, and doesn’t sport the same claim marks on his skin as Seonghwa did. Yunho feels guilty once again. He briefly cleans himself and slips on the sweatpants before returning to the bedroom._ _

__

__Seonghwa has shifted to a more comfortable position lying on his side with a pillow propped under his shoulder, playing with his tail absentmindedly. His nakedness still shakes Yunho up a bit the moment he steps back into the room but he mentally hits himself to get over it. He hurt Seonghwa last night. Wether it was on purpose or in his right mind or not the least he could do is pick up the pieces._ _

__

__“Can... I touch you?” Yunho says hesitantly as he sits back onto the mattress, holding a warm wet towel._ _

__

__“Yes, pup.”_ _

__

__Yunho takes a deep breath in and out before moving behind his best friend and beginning to clean him gently, taking care to be extra soft on the parts that might be sore as well as Seonghwa’s nether regions and the base of his tail. It’s... a strangely calming experience to say the least, Seonghwa stretched out and lightly purring while Yunho wipes him down with the towel. The pup is just now noticing the dried cumstains covering the sheets around them... gross._ _

__

__“Are you freaked out because of shock... or is it because you regret it or didn’t like it or...” Seonghwa is keeping a very calm front, voice soothing and free of judgement. Yunho hates this. If anything the pup feels that _he_ should be the one comforting Seonghwa in a time like this._ _

__

__“N- no! I don’t... well I’m pretty sure I- uh... liked it?” Yunho wants to hide in a hole he wants to hide in a hole so fucking badly right now. “My... um. My instincts seemed to like it enough, right?” Yunho gestures generally towards Seonghwa’s body and the many claim marks that scattered across the older boy’s tan skin._ _

__

__He’s telling the truth. Yunho thinks he’s a lot more freaked out about the notion of having sex than having sex with Seonghwa... well that’s not true because he is scared of the idea of having sex with his best fucking friend but that didn’t mean it was an unpleasant experience in the slightest. Yunho’s alpha had needed a warm body to fuck and that’s just what Seonghwa provided..._ _

__

__That sounded... so wrong._ _

__

__“Hyung I...” Yunho wanted to cover his face with his hands... he also wanted to get rid of every ugly mark he’d made on Seonghwa’s pretty skin. “I’m so.... I’m so sorry...” He swallows. “You shouldn’t have... I shouldn’t have-. I’m- am I...” Seonghwa’s eyes are big and worried and Yunho feels sick to his stomach at that._ _

__

__Was he messed up? In the head? For doing this with Seonghwa? The thought was far from the first thing that crossed Yunho’s mind but he couldn’t help but feel it sneak up on him even so. Was he a... did he have a kitty fetish? And he’d just taken it out on... his best friend? Yunho can’t breath. The dog hybrid can feel moisture forming in his eyes, tears beginning to crawl down his cheeks._ _

__

__“Yunho? Yunho! Oh my fuck... pup! Breath...” Seonghwa was rubbing at his chest and frantically trying to wake him from his stupor. Yunho blinks, vision clearing. He was on his side now, curled up. Strange he couldn’t remember._ _

__

__“Yunho... are you okay? Fuck i should never...” Seonghwa’s eyes are big and sad. “Fuck I’m an idiot.” The weight of what had just happened was displayed right on Yunho’s face for Seonghwa to see and the cat hybrid seemed to be taking it the other way, blaming it on himself. That was the last thing Yunho wanted... he had to do something._ _

__

__“Hyung...”_ _

__

__“Yunho...”_ _

__

__“I... please...” Seonghwa’s eyes go wide at that, like he hadn’t expected Yunho to say that. Despite the trauma of what just happened... could you really blame Yunho for wanting to stay with his best friend? Seonghwa was.. the one person who made him feel safe, like the world didn’t exist, like it was only them. Seonghwa must see this because the next thing he says is._ _

__

__“I’ll stay, pup.”_ _

__

__And that was all he could ask for._ _

__

__The two friends don’t say much else, just small sobs on Yunho’s part as Seonghwa moves to hug the pup from behind, the cat hybrid’s skin right up against his and it sends shivers through Yunho’s spine even if they had... had sex just last night. He felt ridiculous, but also at ease now that Seonghwa’s purring was picking up. Hadn’t he not wanted to think? That sounded like a good idea right about now. It’s sure better than crying._ _

__

__And Seonghwa’s arms are so... inviting at this moment. They’re inviting and warm and soft and Yunho feels like he could fall asleep in them a million times... and he doesn’t even feel like confronting the meaning behind that. No stomach aches today. Just sleep..._ _

__

__Yunho remembers Seonghwa smelling like roses last night but... the scent is so much more subdued now, dulling to a slight hint even. Yunho misses it somehow... now Seonghwa just smells of peaches and cream... like everything else in the room._ _

__

__Wait._ _

__

__Did this make Seonghwa his fuckbuddy?_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic is also my first time writing smut so... hope it wasn’t too shabby lol
> 
> even with our two boys making progress... they still stay frustratingly oblivious... i hope you all stay tuned to find out what happens next!
> 
> thank you all for reading!! <3


	11. Alpha Instincts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another filler-ish? but it’s a fun one, i hope you all enjoy
> 
> sorry again for the late update, life just got a little busier but i’m going to try to maintain a consistent schedule!!
> 
> warning for slight public humiliation/some questionable comments
> 
> hope you all enjoy reading!!

_Yunho’s body seemed to light up into flames with arousal once Seonghwa entered the room, the edge of release getting more and more clear in his mind with each waft of his best friends scent entering Yunho’s system. It felt intoxicating, made Yunho’s instincts go into overdrive, as if the cat hybrid was his aphrodisiac._

“Little pup.” _It’s Seonghwa. He’s right here. He’s here to help him. He’s here to relieve him._

_Please him. That’s what Yunho thinks when Seonghwa purrs into his skin, saving him from his seemingly eternal suffering. Fill him, please him, be a good alpha... pump him full, be the best alpha for him... and Yunho’s instincts seem to take over his body, replacing any rationale with what feels like a combined effort of all the affection the pup felt for his best friend. Maybe it was best he let his instincts go, for once, and give in._

..

...

_Soft, willing, guiding... Yunho thinks his omega is perfect, he’s the most beautiful omega he could ask for... so pretty and supple, so strong and full, overflowing with his seed. He wants everyone to know his omega is_ his _, he wants to mark his pretty omega up and show everyone that he’s claimed. He wants his omega to mark him up too, Yunho is his alpha after all, but... his omega seems so tired. Did Yunho hurt him? He would never want to hurt his omega..._

_His omega spurts out pretty ribbons of sweet cum on his chest and Yunho thinks it tastes like some kind of nectar in his mind, he wants to lick up every last drop of his omega’s sweet release, he wants him to be clean and smooth again, skin blooming with Yunho’s claims. Yunho loves the feeling of his omega’s velvety walls pulsing around him, wanting to stay in that snug embrace forever, or at least for the night. The pup can’t remember a time he felt more satisfied._

_______

Yunho’s post-rut panic lasted the rest of the day. Seonghwa kept going in and out of the room when he could to phone his parents or grab a snack but somehow when the older boy wasn’t in the room... Yunho felt even more confused than when he was. The cat hybrid changed into boxers and one of Yunho’s classic oversized t-shirts that hung off his frame adorably and made them both pancakes for breakfast at noon.

Yunho followed Seonghwa around the house like a lost little puppy, hugging him from behind while he flipped the pancakes, laying his head on the cat hybrid’s lap as he scrolled through his phone and dozing off more than once if he was leant against the older boy for more than a few minutes. It was therapeutic having him here still, and Seonghwa had no problem giving Yunho all the head pats he could ask for as the dog hybrid took out his post-rut stress in the form of affection.

Yunho’s number one problem he was currently trying to wrap his head around was the idea that his instincts might be starting to influence his everyday life, and he seemed to be taking them out on Seonghwa. Were his instincts what was making his stomach hurt on his birthday? It was probably why he suddenly felt this urge to be so close to the older boy when he had been _trying_ to keep his distance for Seonghwa’s sake... and it sure made sense if you lined up the dates.

Halfway through eating his third serving of pancakes, Yunho began to whine, feeling guilty about forcing himself onto Seonghwa like he did, being overly clingy with him. He had no right, no leverage whatsoever to act that way, he can’t even remember asking for Seonghwa’s consent on the matter. It all made his belly churn. Was he a monster? Most alphas Yunho had met in his lifetime were discriminatory idiots who thought they had control over everyone whom they deemed inferior... Yunho wasn’t exactly exuberant to be joining their ranks. 

“What’s wrong, Yunho?” Seonghwa’s melodic, concerned voice brought Yunho out of his stupor and back to his best friend’s warm, wide-eyed gaze. Grounding, familiar. Yunho instantly felt better when Seonghwa led the pup back into the bedroom and let Yunho curl up in his lap best he could considering his size.

“I feel like I’m losing my mind.” Yunho confesses with a sad laugh, staring blankly at his dresser across the room. Seonghwa works a hand down through his hair and against the side of his face, palm warm and soft under Yunho’s cheek.

“Is this about presenting or about us?” Seonghwa asked calmly, curling a strand of the pup’s golden locks.

“Both.” 

Seonghwa hums. “Were still best friends, Yunho. This isn’t going to change that, it shouldn’t change that.” He sounds so serious. 

Yunho shudders in Seonghwa’s hold. “It’s still... weird. I don’t know... I’m still dealing with this whole alpha thing... this... this new thing we have too, it’s just...” He trails off, mind going to a faraway place. He didn’t know how to continue that sentence without making it seem like Yunho hadn’t wanted Seonghwa to help him... I mean... he hasn’t wanted to present in the first place, especially as an alpha but the fact that Seonghwa had been there made things ten times more... enjoyable than it could have been. Yikes... that didn’t sound good. His best friend still continues to purr, stroking Yunho’s head in comfort.

“Does using the word ‘fuckbuddies’ make it sound any better?” Seonghwa giggles a bit.

Yunho thought about it for a second, trying his best not to overthink and make his ears burn. The term was so... hasty. It made Seonghwa sound like a quick fuck he didn’t need to think about and that was the end of it, just a fun time with a friend and then everything was over. Yunho’s rut hadn’t been a fun time whatsoever, it had been... humiliating and confusing and... somehow also liberating at the same time. “I don’t... I don’t really like the sound of that.”

Seonghwa flicks his tail. Yunho smiles to himself, getting a sudden idea. “How about... how about rutbuddies?” The dog hybrid lets out a little snort a second later, telling Seonghwa that he wasn’t being serious whatsoever about the dumb name suggestion.

Seonghwa laughs, shaking his head and looking down at Yunho in disbelief. “That’s... so stupid, pup...”

“We’re gonna end up using it anyways, you know we will...”

“Uh, I am _not_ calling you my rutbuddy, pup.” 

“I’m gonna use it until you start saying it too.” Yunho replies indignantly, knowing full well Seonghwa would cave to the dumb name soon enough.

“Were total losers..” Seonghwa mutters.

“Losers til the end.” Yunho gives Seonghwa’s chest a small shove, the cat hybrid giggling.

“Should we find a canine to help you next time or... would you want me to still help you, pup?” Seonghwa asked cautiously after a minute, looking down at Yunho in curiosity.

“I want you there.” Yunho says immediately with a dusting of pink on his cheeks. He doesn’t even think once about it. No matter how confusing this whole ordeal has been, Yunho can’t imagine having to experience that hormonal frenzy with anyone other than his best friend. It seemed... it seemed wrong, even if Yunho felt guilty, even if the idea of hurting Seonghwa was terrifying in and of itself, he couldn’t imagine what would have happened if the cat hybrid hadn’t been there to help him. No, he needed Seonghwa for this, at least for now, the older boy was the only one he trusted most to share that part of himself with.

He’s glad that their conversation had turned lighthearted but... That of course didn’t change his unspoken worries. Losing control of yourself is scary, but when his best friend could possibly be put in danger because of it... when Yunho got too up in his thoughts, he felt like a monster. When there was an irresistible voice in your head egging you on, encouraging you to give in... it was hard to pull back. 

Even harder when the person your instincts are directed towards won’t let go of you, won’t stop touching and providing, and still wouldn’t give up on your humanity as well. Yunho has no idea how he’d ever be able to resist pulling back from that, the affection Seonghwa was giving him.

“We’ll do it like we do everything, pup. Together. I’m not gonna run away this time...” Seonghwa assured him again and again, purring and licking at Yunho’s ears, grooming at the silky hair there. “Never again, pup. I’m right here.”

Yunho hummed contentedly, letting the waves of exhaustion wash over him, letting Seonghwa’s presence be the only thing he remembers when he falls back to sleep. 

The next day, Seonghwa sent him a single text, reading ‘same thing next time?’.

Yunho just responds with ‘Next time’, sealing the deal, confirming Seonghwa would be there to help Yunho through his next rut. The dog hybrid shudders even mentioning the dreaded date. One month.

‘Until you get a mate, pup. I’ll be right there don’t you worry’

Until he got a mate... why does Yunho get the feeling that will take... quite a while?

When Yunho tells their friend group about his presentation the next day at school, Wooyoung automatically starts punching him in the chest and cheering, telling him he’s going to get all the omega babes. The golden-haired boy is just internally grateful that no one asked about him getting help for the rut. All they reveal is that Seonghwa was in the next room, giving him moral support the whole way through and the rest of their friends all go “awww” and make jokes about Seonghwa once again being the parent of the group.

Yeosang mutters that he’s not surprised, rolling his eyes at Wooyoung’s incessant ranting.

“Yunho?! Now we’ve got the full package! See omega, beta, alpha!” The curly tailed pup gestures towards himself, Mingi and Yunho respectively, Yeosang crossing his arms and flicking an ear. 

“Is this another joke on how I might as well be a cat?”

“Yeosang I’ve said this a million times... you’re not part of the canine gang cause Seonghwa’s rubbed off too much of his feline angst onto you...” Wooyoung acts like an annoyed teacher, placing two hands on Yeosang’s shoulders. “That’s what you get when you hang out with a sexually repressed feline.”

Seonghwa happily assists on giving Wooyoung the tickle attack of his nightmares, the curly-tailed pup’s high-pitched laughter being heard all throughout the cafeteria as the both Seonghwa and Yeosang relentlessly tickle him until he’s tearing up. Mingi laughs on like he always does, but when Yunho tries to meet his gaze in standby solidarity, the wolf hybrid looks away hastily.

If he’s being honest, Yunho is just glad Mingi is even present at their table. The wolf hybrid had taken a few days off of attending their hangouts before returning with the same wide smile on his face, but he hasn’t talked to Yunho about the incident, hasn’t said anything about his presentation, not one word really, and it’s eating the pup up on the inside. If Mingi wasn’t comfortable, and if he wanted to leave their past interactions behind them for good, Yunho would respect that.

But it was hard feeling so detached from someone you were getting so close to. Yunho sighs as Mingi evades his gaze a third time that day.

Seonghwa smiles at Yunho all the same during lunch, wrapping his tail around Yunho’s leg to comfort him when the dog hybrid starts feeling down from overthinking. How does Seonghwa always know when to give him affection? His best friend purrs, leaning against Yunho slightly and the dog hybrid forgets he was ever confused. Seonghwa’s rosy perfume-like scent is back, entering Yunho’s system and sending him off into a warm afternoon doze.

_______

Seonghwa feels an odd sense of calm leaving Yunho’s house the day after his rut, though the logical part of his brain seems to insist he shouldn’t be. 

You’re not okay, Seonghwa’s brain tells himself. This will only end badly, you’re hurting not only yourself but also him, you’re selfish. Seonghwa’s heart would beg to differ. Why does selfish feel so good? Why is selfish the most at ease Seonghwa has felt in so long? He feels like after all this time, he deserves to be selfish, and no matter what the cost, he’ll do anything in his power to keep that selfishness from hurting Yunho. He promised himself he would never let his feelings separate them ever again, that he couldn’t bear it.

For the first time since middle school, Seonghwa didn’t let it get to him.

Convincing himself he was only doing it for convenience... that was another hurdle Seonghwa wasn’t ready to address even by himself. His heart wanted to be selfish because it loved the way Yunho clung to him after the rut, loved being near Yunho in that way, loved all the attention his best friend was giving him. His heart wouldn’t stop jumping and beating away with joy at the chance to finally act on its true feelings. Maybe it was an escape, a way to cope, a way to pretend he lived in a world where him and Yunho were together and Seonghwa could breath, he could feel complete. 

He hadn’t known feeling Yunho that close to him, connected to him both physically and emotionally, would make him feel that sense of completion. 

He still wanted to support the pup the best he could, and being a feline, Seonghwa had never learned the details of canine ruts and heats and all those confusing topics. That’s how he found himself at the pizza parlor in town, sat across from Wooyoung a few days after Yunho’s rut, determined to bring up the subject.

“What is you’re boyfriend like during ruts?” He asks in a voice calm as he could muster.

Wooyoung almost spits his drink out onto the pizza him and Seonghwa are sharing, putting a hand over his mouth and choking in the process, eyes wide. Seonghwa leans over the table and pats his friend on the back, cursing himself for just blurting that out. 

“You invited me here to talk about _Changbin_?!” Wooyoung sputters incredulously, voice still hoarse from the choking.

“No! I mean... yes? Kind of. I just-“ Seonghwa did _not_ think this through enough beforehand. He can’t accidentally blurt out to Wooyoung that he “assisted” Yunho, their best friend, through his rut. Him an Yunho agreed to keep that little fact a secret from the rest of their friend group, even Yeosang, who’d always been Seonghwa’s confidant when it came to his feelings surrounding the dog hybrid. He knew Yeosang already knew of his innermost thoughts, so he wouldn’t react badly, but they had no idea how Wooyoung or Mingi or any people who came attached to them felt about the subject. Better to keep it on the down-low.

“Yunho the other day... when he was having his rut, it was... scary.” He’s telling the truth there. Seonghwa had been scared The dog hybrid’s dick might explode or that he’d have to go through five rounds in a row of getting fucked til he couldn’t walk, and that Yunho would have a panic attack and pass out after the rut was over... “I want to know how to support him. Is there anything to watch out for...? Or like, a way to tell when it’s about to happen...” There we go, that sounded like a plausible concern as a friend.

Wooyoung just smiled. “Aww, you guys are so cute... of course I’ll help you out, Hyung! We want to support our dear alpha Yunho the best we can right?” 

Seonghwa breaths out in relief. No one even suspected of him helping Yunho through the rut, much less his feelings for the younger boy. He should try to calm down.

According to Wooyoung and apparently most canine placement professionals, the number one objective of an alpha in heat is to fill up their omega or beta. “Or another alpha, you know. We’re not ignorant assholes in this house.” Wooyoung adds. It didn’t even need to be about claiming or have feelings involved whatsoever apparently, just to fulfill the urge to breed. That was why... sadly, a large portion of sexual assault instances stemmed from unaided ruts.

“But like, everyone is different. It’s not like I can just list off traits and that’s the blueprint or anything, like... some alphas are more cranky and bitchy, some of them get extra possessive, some are like- aggressive, actually, a _lot_ of them are aggressive... most alphas I know, so that’s a blueprint I guess. More like they all have this common objective of fucking. Anything they can stick their dick in.” Wooyoung snorts a bit, meaning to be humorous but Seonghwa’s just startled and confused now. Yunho hadn’t been aggressive at all. If anything, he had become more docile and cute, especially after the actual fucking part was done. 

“I mean, that’s why omegas are afraid a lot of the times... cause like I said, when an alpha is near a rut they get all angry and shit. And it’s pretty easy to tell if one is close cause of their strong scent... a lot of them like to force their partners or any unsuspecting omega into submission using it, trying to put in the mating mark without even thinking and such... Even with Binnie, he gets a little rough sometimes and I need to remind him to calm down.”

“That sounds... kinda scary.” Seonghwa says softly, now concerned for his friend. And the entire canine population at this point... and any felines that also happened to get swept up in alpha bullshit. Maybe his parents really did have a point to their talks about alphas assaulting people... though they went about explaining it in all the wrong ways.

“Changbin would never actually hurt me, but it just goes to show it’s in their nature to act that way... sad but true.” Wooyoung laughs, continuing. “Honestly I was betting in my head, like, ninety percent sure Yun would end up being a beta or an omega cause he’s so _gentle_ , like I can’t imagine him being all alpha and dom and shit but... I mean, it happened so... I guess his biology decided to pull a one-eighty last minute.” Wooyoung shrugs. “That sort of duality is kinda hot if you ask me... still can’t picture it though.”

Seonghwa was there, he was there when it happened, he was on the receiving end when it happened and he can’t imagine Yunho acting anything remotely like that either. The pup’s soft personality must translate into the rut experience to a crazy extent then... or Seonghwa’s calming effect worked to an insane degree... or both.

“Actually... since we’re on the topic...” Wooyoung looks around them briefly, checking to see if anyone was watching. “I wasn’t going to tell anyone about it just yet but...” The curly-tailed pup sneakily pulls back his shirt, revealing a faded, light brown bite mark right where his scent glands were. A mating mark. Seonghwa put a hand over his mouth in shock.

“Oh my- Wooyoung! Congratulations! How long has it...”

“A week probably... we just... I really, _really_ love Changbin, Hyung. It’s not like we’re getting married or anything, just.... another step in the bond. It felt so right.” Wooyoung’s eyes are tearing up slightly jut talking about it.

“I’m... I'm glad, Wooyoung. Really. You two should be happy together.” It was pretty common to find a mating mark on a lot of canines their age these days, as more people were getting into serious relationships. Seonghwa figures it’s probable that Wooyoung and Changbin stay together for a really long time if they had felt close enough to give mating marks.

Seonghwa takes another good look at the splotchy ring planted on Wooyoung’s neck that the pup was now showing off proudly to the cat hybrid. It looked... inconspicuous enough, could just another hickey to someone who didn’t know about mating marks, basically the entirety of the feline population. Seonghwa remembered being confused when Yunho had first tried to explain the logistics of mating to him when the two were just kids. It was funny to look back on, the younger pup trying to give Seonghwa an example by biting into his arm but eventually giving up since it hurt.

Mating marks weren’t permanent, but pretty hard to get rid of, and required an intense emotional bond to create as well a just as intense emotional strain to extinguish. That’s what Seonghwa had learnt.

Now that he thought of it, Seonghwa can clearly remember Yunho in his rut lapping repeatedly again and again at the spot where Seonghwa’s scent glands would be if he were a canine. He had been so insistent on targeting that spot, pressing kisses to it, nipping lightly at it, but never biting down completely. Maybe Yunho didn’t have as much control of his alpha instincts as Seonghwa had thought. But then how would that explain his submissive behavior?

“Oh fuck, Hyung. I almost forgot! Did you know Yunho smells like peaches and cream now? Like, if you ever wanted to be able to smell all the canine scents now would be the time cause holy shit, it’s like actual dessert smell, super strong too.” Wooyoung jumps up in his seat, continuing the conversation. Seonghwa had almost forgotten that he wasn’t supposed to be able to smell Yunho’s scent. At all. Another odd development he never thought about. 

Seonghwa just smiles and plays dumb, deciding its best if he figures out why he can even do that by himself before telling his friend. What’s more is that Yunho could, it seems, smell a recognizable scent on Seonghwa that the cat hybrid wasn’t even aware he had. Or the pup was just mumbling about rose water for no particular reason, but Seonghwa can’t even recall owning any rose perfumes. It was weird, and frankly Seonghwa feels like he has too much to try and wrap his head around already with the whole new fuckbuddy, sorry, _rutbuddy_ thing.

According to Wooyoung, peaches and cream was a really uncommon scent for alphas to have. “I mean, I’ve never met an alpha that smells like fruit and flowers at all... maybe like, cinnamon or herbs but that’s the closest I can think of.” He yaps on. Seonghwa thought it fit Yunho well all the same. He could smell Yunho’s scent when he put his nose close to his own skin even a week after he had slept with the pup. He can’t say he doesn’t like it, it was actually quite comforting. Seonghwa would put his wrist up to his nose at night and breath in the sweetness of the peachy smell. 

The problem was... the scent was so strong that his parents had definitely picked up on it, remarking on how he smells particularly doggish lately. Seonghwa had gotten “dog smell” comments from kids at school in the past but... his parents had never brought it up, always opting to pretend that Yunho didn’t exist in their lives. 

His mamma turns her nose up in disgust one afternoon when Seonghwa walks through the door back from classes, and that’s when the reality of this scent situation begins to sink in. Seonghwa decides to start wearing extra deodorant the next day.

_______

The end of the school year was coming fast and with it came final exams, showcase preparations, and the looming date of prom for all the senior pups. Wooyoung got top marks all his finals with Yeosang coming in a close second, the two pups bickering about it for the next weekM much to Yunho and Mingi’s annoyance. Seonghwa didn’t seem half as stressed though, or at least he didn’t yet.

Because halfway through May, Seonghwa gets an invitation from Hongjoong to attend a special mutuals-only party at Choi San’s mansion, and the cat hybrid was of course insistent on inviting the whole gang to come along, much to Yunho’s embarrassment and worry as well as Wooyoung’s excitement. “Wherever I go, I bring my canine conglomerate with me.” Seonghwa had said that day at lunch.

“I go to parties without you guys all the time.” Yeosang points out.

“That’s because you have a life, and I don’t, Yeosang. Weren’t you and Wooyoung just saying that a few days ago?”

The fox hybrid just frowns and nods. “Fair point.”

What surprises him though, is that the first thing to happen after the invitation is Mingi texting Yunho, asking if he could come over to his house before the party. It’s be the first time he’d interacted with the wolf in weeks. 

The wolf hybrid shows up at Yunho’s house carrying a large duffel bag over his shoulder and a sheepish expression shadowed across his face, tail between his legs. Mingi’s hair had faded to a coral color since Yunho’s birthday. Yunho wanted to hug him first and foremost, but he held back to let Mingi say what he had clearly come here to. The two of them walk through the house to Yunho’s bedroom silently, the pup closing the door to his room behind them. 

“I wanted to turn over a new leaf.” Mingi sounds nervous, eyes flitting from Yunho to the floor, setting the duffel bag onto the bed. “Can we just...”

“Forget about everything that happened that night?” Yunho finished for him, ears perking up.

Mingi looks at Yunho regretfully. “I’d really like to...”

“Are you okay with that though.. like, mentally?” Yunho rubs his neck with his hand.

Mingi chuckles a bit, eyes scrunching up, smiling amusedly. “Yunho it was just a silly crush... nothing more than that, I promise. I’ll be fine.”

Mingi goes on to say that he always valued his friendship with Yunho more than any feelings that may have gotten in the way, continuing to insist that he’s fine, he’s get over it. That doesn’t stop Yunho from giving the wolf hybrid a big, tight hug just to make sure, wagging his tail and embracing the other canine closer. Mingi returns the hug with the same intensity, muttering something about missing him into Yunho’s shoulder. 

When they pull back, Mingi steps to the side, revealing the mysterious duffel bag he’d been lugging around and beginning to pull out the contents, spreading them out of Yunho’s bed. Of course he’d want to do another fashion show... it was an unspoken tradition now. 

Mingi pulls out several items of clothing from the overstuffed bag, skirts, sweaters, pants, shirts, even a very intimidating pair of heels Yunho tries to balance his weight on but ends up tipping over and grabbing onto the wolf hybrid for support, the two of them laughing heartily. Mingi holds his hand as Yunho tries to navigate the carpeted floor with the extra four inches height but opts afterwards to skip out on wearing the heels for the night, or ever at that. 

“Everyone’s gonna want a taste of the hottest new alpha on the block, Yun.” Mingi says with a smirk, gesturing for Yunho to twirl around for him, the tall pup complying.

“You think I don’t know that already?” Yunho laughs. He had caught three omegas in the past week trying to catch a whiff of his new peachy scent, trailing after him like a bunch of stalkers and trying to sneak past his vision when he whipped his head around. It hasn’t worked, Yunho had caught every one of them, trying to rush off with some excuse embarrassingly. “Seriously, and I thought the fan club was weird already...”

Mingi giggles. “Now that we’re hanging out again, I look foreword to witnessing the Yunho hunger games once we get back to school.” Mingi laughs, holding up a sheer top with a lace collar to Yunho’s torso and giving it to the pup. “Try this one on, oh and...” Mingi digs through the pile of clothes that has formed on Yunho’s bed. “This.” He shoves a jacket in Yunho’s face, hurrying the golden-haired boy into the closet to change.

When Yunho exits the closet, Mingi just whistles and raises an eyebrow, admiring his work. “I think we may have a winner.” 

Yunho blushes in the mirror at the sight. The top Mingi picked out for him is see-through all over, made of a thin, lacy material that creeps up his neck into a collar and cuts off at the sleeves. It properly exposes not only his big shoulders but also his back and ab muscles, leaving Yunho to the mercy of whomever wants to sneak a peek at his newly-presented alpha self.

“You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want...” Mingi assures him. 

Yunho looks at himself from the side and scans the length of his legs, the bleached jeans Mingi had picked out. “There’s not gonna be any other canines at the party besides us anyways....”

Yunho still ends up leaving the house with a jean jacket over the shirt to match his pants, not wanting to take any chances. Mingi looks like his bodyguard beside him, wearing big black sunglasses, a sharp sports jacket and long black skinny jeans. He wasted no time staring down a couple of betas who looked like they’d creamed themselves walking past the two outside Yunho’s house. Yeosang makes his grand entrance by just about running them over in his big stupid black van he had recently bought for himself, going over the curb and almost clearing the trash bin in the driveway. 

“Thanks for almost killing us, Yeo. Great way to start out the night.” Wooyoung is ranting in the back seat when Mingi opens the door to the van. Jongho is tapping away at his phone in the front seat and Yunho can help but get deja vu when he makes himself comfortable in the backseat, squished into the middle row next to Wooyoung.

“Stop backseat driving, it was _you_ who kept yelling at me to go faster two seconds ago! Hey guys.” Yeosang adds at the end of his sentence, smiling through gritted teeth at the two tall canines. “Mingi, I thought we were going to leave together after class, why’d you go to Yunho’s?”

“Had to... tie up some loose ends.” Mingi responds. Right. The wolf hybrid and Yeosang has just moved into the dorms together that week, giving them a lot more time to get to know each other while the canine was getting over the Yunho incident. The pup was glad Mingi seemed to be bonding with other members of the group besides him.

“Besides, look at what we did while I was gone!” Mingi scoots over, turning the attention over to Yunho, who has his jacket on his lap, exposing his sheer top for all to see. Wooyoung slaps a hand on his forehead upon realizing what the taller boy was wearing. Yunho holds up a hand in greeting, smiling awkwardly as everyone in the car eyes his top along with the skin underneath, including a shy Jongho in the passenger seat.

“Mingi, my fucking god you’ve done it again, remind me to make you style me next time?” Wooyoung exclaims.

What Yunho has learnt from both parties he’s attended at Choi San’s is that both Yeosang and Jongho can’t drive for shit, and that the two of them like to nag at each other constantly in the front seat about just how bad they think he other is at driving. It would be kinda cute if Yunho wasn’t anticipating seeing Seonghwa the whole ride, playing with his thumbs nervously. The older boy had told everyone he was going early with Hongjoong to help set up. But... what if he and Hongjoong had been... fucking around before the party? Fuck, he hated the ugly familiar feeling that crept up in his stomach...

They arrive at Choi San’s mansion at around nine in the evening, Hongjoong and Seonghwa there to greet them at the front door when they knock. Somehow, the mansion seems a lot less foreboding the second time being here. But his admirations for the scenery of the place are all forgotten as Yunho’s anticipations all come into fruition once he enters the building and... holy _shit_.

Seonghwa... Seonghwa is wearing a crop top. A fucking red loose crop top with little puffy sleeves going up into a turtleneck and jeans that seem like they’re barely holding onto his narrow hips, a breath away from slipping right off and Yunho isn’t okay. At all. He can already feel the color creeping up into his face and ears. Hongjoong grins so confidently from next to the cat hybrid, little tabby ears quirked, indigo locks pushed back in his familiar biker style and he looks so... so smug standing next to Seonghwa. Yunho can’t handle the way he wraps his small hand around Seonghwa’s bare waist and Seonghwa looks down at him to smile so softly. Fuck.

“You guys always come better dressed than me and it’s honestly kind of embarrassing...” Hongjoong says to the group when they’re all inside. “We’ve got a movie going on in the room upstairs, cmon.” The tabby turns to lead everyone through the main room, now full of expensive furniture, down the hall and up a set of stairs in the back, polished wood draped in a soft shiny rug.

Seonghwa hangs back a bit to walk beside Yunho, a detriment to the younger boy’s already waning sanity, and the pup feels his spine stiffen all the way up when Seonghwa places a hand on his arm. Okay. It’s okay, try to relax. Yunho attempts to will his instincts to calm the fuck down. You’re not alpha, You’re Yunho. You’re just Yunho. “You’re looking bold tonight.” Seonghwa purrs. “It’s a good look though.” Shit.

Yunho glances at Seonghwa’s figure uncomfortably, like the cat hybrid is some kind of forbidden fruit or the sun or something else he shouldn’t look at. He tries to come off as natural as possible. “I... could say the same... are there any other canines here?” He quickly switches up the subject.

“Nope.” Seonghwa led Yunho down the hall by his waist and Yunho right then and there smashed back into the sinful side of his brain the alpha inside him that was yapping at him to do... very explicit things right then and there. In the middle of the fucking hall, what was wrong with him? “Just you guys... but there aren’t many people here either, and they know you’re coming so it really shouldn’t be an issue. If that’s what you’re worried about.”

Yunho nods and keeps his eyes dead set on the floor in front of him, convincing himself that Seonghwa’s smooth, hard stomach muscles, the subtle curve of his exposed hipbones, the small dip of his belly button, that none of that is distracting whatsoever. Fuck.

“Looking very slutty today, Yeosang.” Seonghwa gives the fox hybrid a playful nudge, looking suggestively at his dangerously skimpy shorts. Jongho coughs next to them. Weird. 

Yeosang just raises an eyebrow at the cat hybrid. “Hyung... people can see your fucking thong right out in clear sight. I’m hardly the one with the slutty look in this situation.” Seonghwa giggles mischievously at that. Wait, Seonghwa is wearing a what?

Sure enough, curiosity gets the best of him and Yunho turns bright fucking red when he catches a glimpse of a little lace strap, wine-red against Seonghwa’s hipbone. It really shouldn’t be that big of a deal and Yunho _knows_ Seonghwa likes wearing panties and lingerie and all that stuff, he’s been with the older boy while he shops for fucks sake. He’s seen Seonghwa’s clothes when he changes in the bathroom at Yunho’s house during sleepovers... Why is it that he suddenly feel like jumping in a lake would be a better option than going through with tonight.

They’re led down another hall and into what seems to be Choi San’s own bedroom. The lynx hybrid is spread out on a king-size bed with about twelve other feline hybrids all around him, on the ground or on loveseats or chairs and there’s really no dodging the fact that the whole scene looks like an orgy took place there. No one is paying attention to the movie playing on the widescreen across from the bed. San’s got several queens giggling at him, the guy seems to be basking under their attention, springing up from his relaxed position when he sees Hongjoong enter. 

“Joong! You missed the best part, you know I love watching shitty comedies with you...” San draws his words out and pouts at Hongjoong who just laughs and takes up a seat at the end of the lynx hybrid’s bed. San continues. “But... look who brought the fucking party?! Weren’t you the guy who had the hype circle around him at New Years?” San points at Mingi, who puts a hand behind his head and blushes. 

“That was... I was like, _really_ drunk.” The wolf hybrid laughs nervously.

“No, man it was fucking awesome! I swear people were talking about it for weeks... Hey, weren’t you there too?” San directs his attention over to Yunho.

“Yeah he was! He was the guy throwing it back right?” Some idiot amongst the feline cluster speaks up. Yunho cringes. Seonghwa just genuinely giggles next to him and leads Yunho to a seat on the floor, holding his hand. Yunho grips his jacket close to his body, feeling very out of place. Mingi sits down next to him, also seeming pretty uncomfortable.

Yeosang makes himself at home strewn out on a loveseat, laying the top half of his body across Jongho who stiffens and cements his hand to the fox hybrid’s shoulder, as a form of affection or protection, Yunho doesn’t know. All while Wooyoung has already established a loud conversation with a few various felines on the bed, fitting in much better than Yunho was. San just laughs and slings an arm around Hongjoong in familiarity. “This is great, Joong. Everyone shut the fuck up this is the next best part!” 

Some random tom leans over to Yunho and whispers “That shit you did at the party was crazy as fuck, man, you’re nuts.” And honestly the dog hybrid doesn’t know if it’s a compliment or not. He hadn’t done anything outlandish though? Was the guy actually talking to Mingi and Yunho was being presumptuous? This was confusing and stressful... Yunho sighs and just sits while Seonghwa watches the dumb drama with intrigue, eyes widening cutely every now and then. At least his best friend seemed to be having a good time, Yunho just wanted to get this over with. He felt like he was at a dumb populars sleepover or something.

San gets bored of the movie halfway though the confession scene and proposes they all play a game, turning off the film and snapping his fingers. One guy in the corner of the room seems to get the idea and rushes out, returning with two packs of beer in tow, sweating from having to run throughout the mansion. San just laughs giddily and passes the drinks around to everyone, directing his guests into a somewhat circle. Yeosang takes two drinks for him and Jongho, and soon after claims them both for himself. Great, there goes their ride home.

“You all know the drill. Truth or dare, no backing out and if anyone has a problem doing sexy shit with the canines please say so now so it’s not awkward later when you can’t back out.” San claps his hands twice to get everyone to listen up. Three feline hybrids, all wilds, raise their hands after San is done. Well that’s settled, time for the truth or dare from hell to commence.

The first thing San does is make Hongjoong sing an operatic rendition of Gee by SNSD, which is a total nightmare. Everyone boos and Hongjoong fake-pouts, getting a pat on the back from San in return. There’s a few more dares from the felines, most of them being inside jokes Yunho doesn’t understand, but he’s content to just sit back and let them have their fun. It’s kinda entertaining anyways.

It’s when the canines in his friend group get passed the mic that things start to get interesting. Wooyoung and Yeosang have successfully made the entire game their bitch, throwing dares back and forth at each other like lightening, Wooyoung at one point forcing the fox hybrid to confess his wet dream involving Jongho, to which the Doberman hybrid turned the color of Mingi’s hair. Yeosang, drunk as ever, insisted it was just a weird anomaly but Yunho would beg to differ the way the boy had been inching into Jongho’s lap the whole evening.

San steps in at one point, maybe after the tenth dare back and forth. “Okay this is getting boring. You two!” He points at Wooyoung and Yeosang. “I don’t know what kind of unresolved sexual tension you guys are trying to work through but you’re not allowed to dare or truth each other for the rest of the game.” Wooyoung gags but Yeosang just shrugs, not even halfway though his first drink and getting drunker by the second.

But after a few more turns, when it’s Yeosang’s chance to do a dare again, he turns his head deviously over in Yunho’s direction. Oh no. Oh fucking no.

“Seonghwa.” Oh thank god, Yunho thinks to himself. But now that the spotlight is on Seonghwa, the cat hybrid stiffens up. Yeosang continues. “I dare you to give Wooyoung a lap dance.” Oh fucking no. The panic is back and stronger than ever and all the attention in the room is now on Seonghwa, the cat hybrid looking at Yeosang with fire in his eyes. Some people in the group groan at Yeosang finding another way to rope Wooyoung into the equation. But a few just raise their eyebrows and eye up the feline in a way that makes Yunho’s stomach churn.

“Do I have to?” Seonghwa looks at San, who shrugs.

“And if Wooyoung makes any reaction he has to be my footstool.” Yeosang adds offhand.

Wooyoung gets up off the bed at that. “What?! Okay, he’s not allowed to do that it is he?” The curly-tailed pup turns to San furiously.

“A dares a dare... plus this could get interesting. I’m sure Joong over here is gonna enjoy this one, right?” San elbows Hongjoong in the side. Stomach. Churning. Ever so strongly. Yunho wants out. He wants out of here right now but he can’t because Seonghwa is already sighing and getting up to walk over to Wooyoung, clearing the area around him in preparation.

After a few taps heard from Yeosang’s phone, the tune of ‘baby shark’ is echoing around the room, all of the kids bursting out in laughter. Seonghwa holds up a hand incredulously at Yeosang.

“Daremaster chooses the song. Now dance, fool.” Yeosang leans back on the loveseat, shifting himself fully up enough to make Jongho go red as a tomato.

Seonghwa just sighs before admitting defeat. Yunho, along with everyone else in the room, is holding his breath. 

The cat hybrid swivels around and begins walking towards Wooyoung like he was balancing on a tightrope, one foot in front of the other so his hips swayed side to side sensually. Wooyoung just sits back, trying not to move a muscle.

Seonghwa places both hands on the pup’s shoulders, looking straight at him with the most captivating stare. Yunho can’t take his eyes off now where he was evading the feline’s gaze the whole rest of the night. Seonghwa looks like he’s in control of everyone in the room. And that’s when the cat hybrid breaks character, snorting out a laugh and shaking with giggles. “I cant fucking take this seriously...”

“I’m hot as fuck, Hyung! What are you talking about!” Wooyoung fakes outrage.

“Bullshit!” Yeosang calls out from the loveseat.

San speaks up at that. “I think we all want to see you in that outfit strutting your stuff, cmon Seonghwa.” The lynx hybrid elbowed Hongjoong once more, the tabby looking just as intrigued as the rest of the room. Did- did San even know their friend group? Yunho hadn’t been introduced to him...

The pup is holding his breath, for whatever fucking reason, eyes glancing at Seonghwa and then to Hongjoong watching on in amusement from the other side of the couch, eyes still going over Seonghwa’s body like they belonged there. Yunho wanted to get between his line of vision so badly.

“Alright, alright...” And that’s when the cat hybrid begins to move his hips, thrusting forwards with rhythm, holding his belt straps with one hand, the lines of his stomach moving so sensually, earning a round of applause from the rest of the guests. Wooyoung’s eyes are wide as saucers now, the pup looking on the edge of either laughing or exploding.

Seonghwa turns around so his ass is facing Wooyoung, arching his back and bending his knees a bit, raising his fluffy tail so it curls into an s. Then he fucking... he puts his hands on the pup’s knees and begins thrusting his hips back slowly, ass being thrown in Wooyoung’s face and the pup is clapping his hands along with everyone else and laughing now, Yeosang turning up the volume of the music. Yunho can feel a drop of sweat go down his forehead... why is this so nerve wracking? It’s just Seonghwa... being hot like he always is... wait what?

Yunho shakes his head and tries to blink away the confusion but Seonghwa is still over there, ass arching and mouth open, looking like a bronzed god among them- this is supposed to be a joke for fucks sake why Yunho taking it so seriously? Everyone in the group is whistling and leering at Seonghwa’s form, urging him to keep going.

The music stops and Seonghwa collapses onto the floor, Wooyoung swiping at his palm fake throwing money at him, everyone laughing and congratulating Seonghwa on winning his round. As a punishment, Wooyoung has to be Yeosang’s footstool for the rest of the next round, the pup trying to bite Yeosang’s toes like a piranha. “If I get back problems from this shit then Yeosang has to pay for my surgery.” He announces.

“We want an encore!” Yeosang cheers on now that he’s got Wooyoung right where he wants him. No, no, no Yunho wants to say. He definitely does _not_ want an encore. But everyone in the group gradually begins to chant too, cheering for Seonghwa to keep on going. The cat hybrid looks hesitant but alas, gives in to the insistence of the group. 

He starts to get on his stomach on the ground and poke his ass up, cheek on the carpet, hips moving up and down to the rhythm of the chanting and everyone cheers as he arches his ass up to the air, the slip of red lace flashing before Yunho’s eyes, Seonghwa’s face contorting in pleasure and fuck- everyone knows exactly what the fuck that looks like. It’s looks like Seonghwa is getting fucked from behind, that’s what it looks like, Yunho would know since... since that’s what he looked like when Yunho was- the pup covers his eyes with both hands because he feels like he might... he feels like he might get a boner right there in front of everyone. And that’s the last thing he needs to mark down on his list of problems for the night.

The last thing Seonghwa does is a dramatic pullback, getting back up on his knees and showing off his stomach but then... he accidentally throws his crop top back in the process and exposes his chest for all to see under the light of the chandelier in San’s room. And for a split second, everyone all around can clearly see the golden expanse of the cat hybrid’s skin, brown nipples... and the ten or so purple-ish claim marks leftover from Yunho’s rut, all over Seonghwa’s chest and collarbones. Shit-fuck shit shit shit. Yunho knows his ears are probably bright red by now.

Seonghwa immediately recovers and pulls the crop top back down, blushing furiously and glancing around to make sure no one had seen, but the damage was done. Wooyoung was unsurprisingly the first one to get that naughty look on his face, that classic look even from his place as Yeosang’s footstool. Yunho braces himself. Getting revealed in front of this many people definitely wasn’t how he expected his and Seonghwa’s secret to be discovered. He just hoped the group was gentle with their insults.

“Hongjoong you fucking _beast_!” Wooyoung exclaims. Yunho opens his eyes back up. What? _What_?! Wooyoung continues. “What the _fuck_ were you guys doing before we got here? How many fucking marks was that?”

“I counted at least ten.” Mingi adds from next to Yunho. The pup had forgotten he was even there he was so wrapped up in his fear of popping a boner.

“You sure you two aren’t dating?” Another cat hybrid nudges Hongjoong in the side. The small feline just looks thoroughly confused, looking to Seonghwa for answers. The cat hybrid gives him a panicked look and Hongjoong seems to get the idea quickly, just waving his hand in an effort to get everyone to calm down. Seonghwa has returned to his spot next to the loveseat, head held down in embarrassment, face flushed. He looks genuinely upset.

Right, of course everyone would assume it was Hongjoong who had given Seonghwa the lovebites... no one even knew him and Seonghwa were involved with each other in that way, no one knew he had helped Yunho with his rut. It’s... it hurts. He has to admit it to himself. It makes him so... so angry, when everyone pats Hongjoong on the back and congratulates him, tells him he must have given Seonghwa the ‘night of his life‘. It makes him so angry because that was _him_ who had given Seonghwa those marks, not Hongjoong. Yunho can remember sucking every single one into his skin, can remember the small whines Seonghwa had made with every mark Yunho made on him, how good he had made him feel...

What... what the fuck was wrong with him? Why has he just thought that.... Yunho hated those marks, hated how they reminded him of that night. They weren’t anything to be proud of much less take credit for like some kind of douchebag... Yunho turns his attention back towards his best friend’s spot by the loveseat but it’s empty.

Seonghwa is gone. Yunho’s ears perk up in fear and he glances around at the rest of the group, who’s already moved on to the next dare. Seonghwa doesn’t seem to be in the room anymore and no ones seemed to notice. Yunho gets up at the next opportunity he has and tiptoes out of the room, buttoning up his jacket as he goes.

Yunho finds his best friend out on one of the balconies lining the hall, gazing up at the night sky, tail flicking back and forth and arms crossed over his chest. As Yunho approached him, he could smell a soured rose scent coming off of the cat hybrid in waves, indicating he was pretty upset or angry, and when he looks over the balcony to view Seonghwa’s face, the older boy looks on the verge of tears. Yunho is silent, just leans on the balcony’s edge next to his best friend and looks down at the garden below. 

“I’m sorry...” Yunho finally murmurs out, reaching to touch Seonghwa’s hand with his own, long fingers curling over the cat hybrid’s, which look so small in comparison. 

“What are you sorry for?” Seonghwa looks at him confusedly. Yunho dips his head in shame and puts his tail between his legs. 

“If I hadn’t given you those stupid claim marks then this wouldn’t have happened in the first place. You wouldn’t have gotten... humiliated.” He also feels guilty and stupid for getting angry at Hongjoong of all people afterwards for no reason whatsoever other than petty alpha instincts... but he didn’t want to tell Seonghwa about that.

“It’s not your fault, pup. If anything I shouldn’t have... given in to that stupid dare.”

Yunho looked at Seonghwa with big eyes. “I... you looked so confident, I thought you had liked it or I... I would’ve spoken up.”

Seonghwa smiles, turning his hand over so that it’s holding Yunho’s. “That’s sweet, Yunho...” He sighs. “I was... confident I guess. But when all those people started whistling and then they were fucking...” Seonghwa broke off, face screwing up in anger. “They started... congratulating Hongjoong for ‘doing a number on me’. Like I was some sort of... trophy or something, it was...”

Yunho whimpered and brought an arm around Seonghwa, placing half of his jacket over the older boy to cover him up. The two of them were up against each other now, Yunho holding Seonghwa protectively. But Yunho didn’t feel nervous anymore. “I felt like shit. That’s what matters.” Seonghwa finishes, leaning his head on Yunho’s broad shoulder and sighing, letting out his last bit of anger.

“We don’t need to go back in there.” Yunho assures him. 

Seonghwa curls his tail around to meet Yunho’s, twining his fluffy black tail with Yunho’s soft golden one. “You’re my hero, pup...” And the golden-haired boy can feel the need to wag his tail rise up inside of him, but he doesn’t want to in this moment, intent on letting Seonghwa twine his tail around Yunho’s so intimately. 

How the fuck could Yunho have thought for once second about his pride, wanting to claim Seonghwa’s marks as his own when the cat hybrid felt like this? Yunho needed to get a grip, try and reign in those pesky instincts before they.... before they did any real damage and he hurt Seonghwa for real. Before he couldn’t tell the difference between him and his alpha doing the thinking.

For now, Seonghwa’s soured scent was slowly turning rosy and fresh again, calming both of them down and bringing Seonghwa’s heartbeat to a steady pace. It was an easy rest of the night, him and Seonghwa staring up at the stars. Yunho can’t help but wag his tail ever so slightly as Seonghwa continued to coil his around it. It felt so... natural. There was really no other word to describe it. Being close to Seonghwa had always come naturally to the pup, and he was sure the cat hybrid felt the same. And that was when Yunho had a small realization.

Because the strangest, scariest thing about this whole development in their relationship was the _lack_ of any real change, how natural all this felt, how him and Seonghwa could carry on, _were_ carrying on like it’d always been like this. Like this rutbuddy thing was the most natural, normal thing in the world. 

What’s more, Yunho dreamt each night of Seonghwa’s soft rose scent enveloping him, leading him to some kind of dream-lagoon where he could bask and bathe, dozing in the warm fragrance. And as much as he felt guilty about it, all the dreams really did in the end was make him more aware that he’d... always been smelling that scent in his dreams, he’d always imagined Seonghwa’s voice as he slept. Why was it so... magnified now? Why did it seem wrong, when it’d always been there?

And was there really anything wrong about it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter will feature another rut episode, always some fun times
> 
> also those of you who were rooting for jongsang, your prayers have been answered! they will be a developing bg relationship from here on out
> 
> hope you all enjoyed reading! <3


	12. Jealousy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter twelve is here! this one is buildup for the next one which will feature... a whole lot of drama. more Joong in this chapter too!
> 
> hope you enjoy! <3

Despite the events of the party at San’s, Hongjoong seems to be determined to make it up to Seonghwa, the tabby insisting that he come over for a small hangout at his dorm room and meet his friends. Seonghwa doesn’t blame Hongjoong at all for what everyone had said at the party he didn’t even blame Yeosang or Wooyoung at that... it was just him being sensitive anyways, why did they have to feel guilty because of it? Seonghwa is still so nervous walking up to the Horizon Academy housing that his tail is puffed up like he’s angry. The cat hybrid makes sure so smooth the fur on his fluffy tail down before entering. 

Hongjoong answers the door immediately, looking Seonghwa up and down appreciatively. “Come on in, Hwa..” 

The first thing he sees when he enters dorm 8-Z is... Dahyun? Lying down with her head in the lap of another small cat hybrid girl with folded ears on a bed. And then on the bed across from them is... the guy who tried to ask Seonghwa about on the first day of high school?! What the hell is going on.

Coincidental acquaintances aside, the dorm is pretty roomy, containing two beds and a chair that Hongjoong makes himself comfortable on, legs crossing daintily and tail flicking as he invites Seonghwa to sit down.

Minho’s mottled gray ears perk up in familiarity when Hongjoong introduces him, holding out a hand to the Seonghwa, who sits down next to him carefully, still nervous.

“We’ve met, right?” He purrs. Seems friendly enough. Seonghwa takes his hand up and nods.

“We sure have...”

“Yeah... I just. I’m really sorry about... how I acted at the movies. It was uncalled for... I hope it didn’t hurt you too much...”. Minho looks nervous as Seonghwa is, and genuinely sorry at that too. Seonghwa smiles reassuringly at him.

“No worries... it’s in the past, I’m not going to hold a grudge over a little date fiasco.”

“No really, I’m super sorry for that... my parents were like, on intense purity mode that year so I guess I was trying to play along...” Minho rubs his neck with one hand in embarrassment, grinning just a bit to try and seem nicer. Seonghwa finds it cute.

“I can... actually relate a lot.”

Minho smiles, sweet and toothy, moving to the side to reveal a bowl of takis. “Want some?”

“Sure.” As Seonghwa takes a handful of takis he can see Dahyun smile at him from the other bed.

“Nice to see you again, Seonghwa.”

“Hwa you told me you were unpopular and you already know half of my friend group. I feel like a loser.” Hongjoong jokes. 

“Hey, he doesn’t know me!” The girl on the bed next to Dahyun protests, little folded ears drawn back.

“You’re a fucking hermit, Chaeyoung of course he doesn’t know you.” Hongjoong retorts back, the small girl standing up in front of him and threatening jokingly to fight the tabby.

Seonghwa munches on his takis while listening on to Hongjoong and his friends rant about classes and gossip, enjoying the atmosphere. It might have been the first time in awhile that he didn’t feel like a feline outcast, and definitely an improvement from his last encounter with his own hybrid type. The incident is on Seonghwa’s mind the whole time, nagging at him every time he looks over at Hongjoong. 

Hongjoong clears everyone, including a pissed Chaeyoung (who’s his roommate), out of the dorm soon after nightfall comes, turning back to Seonghwa knowingly as he shut the door.

“You’re friends are really nice.” Seonghwa remarks, spreading out on the bed, stretching in the dim light of the warm desk lamp like he now owned the place. Hongjoong grins and makes himself comfortable in the chair next to him.

“They’re my support group... honestly I’m not sure what I’d do without Chaeyoung in my life. She’s like my best friend, I doubt I’d make it through one day in fashion design without her input...” Hongjoong sighs, resting his head in one hand. They’re both silent for a moment.

“Tonight was... better than our last encounter I hope?” Hongjoong says suddenly. Seonghwa looks back up at him, eyes big. “I’m... I’m really sorry about all that, Hwa. I should’ve stood up for you a bit more.” He continues. “I kinda just... sat there like a total jerk.”

“It wasn’t anyone’s fault, Joong. If anything I’m really sorry for putting you in that awkward situation... I mean, you didn’t even give me those marks so...” The older boy trails off. Shit. He didn’t even think about telling Hongjoong who gave him those marks in the first place.

“You don’t need to tell me who gave you those, Hwa.. didn’t I tell you to experiment more with other people? It could help you figure out more about yourself.” Hongjoong quirks an ear. “Just as long as you’re being safe... I don’t want any stds in my system.”

Seonghwa laughs. “We’re both clean, don’t worry.” He’s relieved Hongjoong doesn’t want to know who gave him the marks... that was a conversation he’d rather not have with anyone, ever. It required a whole other level of explaining, even if Hongjoong knew about his crush already. Too many risks, plus him and Yunho could possibly have their entire lives ruined by loose lips.

“I’m just glad you’re getting all that attention you deserve...” Hongjoong purrs, giving Seonghwa a toothy smirk and leaning back in the chair. Seonghwa raises an eyebrow, catching onto the smaller boy’s now suggestive aura. 

Seonghwa smiles back, crossing one leg over the other and quirking an eyebrow at the smaller boy, as if daring him to come closer.

Once again, Seonghwa isn’t quite sure how things played out but one moment him and Hongjoong are having a staring contest from across the tabby’s dorm, and the next the small boy is gripping Seonghwa’s waist and backing them up until the taller boy was straddling him on Hongjoong’s bed. “Ride me til I cry.” He whispers into his ear. Who was Seonghwa to deny him of that?

Needless to say, Seonghwa left the dorm that night feeling sore and satisfied, Hongjoong’s encouraging words as well as the smaller boy’s little moans on his mind. 

_______

It’s been a really, and I mean _really_ fucking long day for Yunho, and what’s more theres this itch in his back that won’t seem to go away. His forehead felt sweaty, his vision felt blurry, his stomach kept acting up. But just when he’s definitely sure he’s sick the feeling goes away altogether and then suddenly he’s fine again, rinse and repeat. It’s weird, and it’s making the pup feel on edge.

“You might have a fever... have you asked the nurse to check your temperature?” Seonghwa places a hand on Yunho’s forehead and blinks, concerned. The two of them are eating lunch together now at the on-campus cafe before Seonghwa’s next class, trying to get in some time together in between schooling. Yunho let’s out a forced laugh and pulls the older boy’s hand off.

“It’s... it’s probably like, hormones or something. I was fine this morning, I swear!”

“But then you weren’t fine two hours ago.” Seonghwa pointed out.

Yunho opens his mouth but then closes it again promptly, not sure how to counter that. He just didn’t want Seonghwa to worry too much about him.

“Sounds like you’re sick, pup.” Seonghwa says bluntly, crossing his arms and flicking an ear. He probably knows full and well that Yunho is just trying to evade his nagging and Yunho still opens his mouth back up to argue, but he doesn’t get the chance to start.

Because right then, Hongjoong saunters up to the two friends, the outfit of the day being a flashy red sweater, red tinted glasses perched in his hair and very tight ripped jeans. The smaller boy makes himself at home in the middle of their table, placing a hand on Seonghwa’s shoulder and smiling. He looks over at Yunho. “Mind if I steal him for a moment?” 

Yunho shakes his head frantically, surprised by the sudden presence of another person between him and Seonghwa.

The small feline winks at Yunho before returning his attention back to the other cat hybrid, the two beginning a conversation about a recording opportunity, stuff about Hongjoong wanting Seonghwa to add vocals to his song, how his voice would be perfect for it etcetera etcetera.

But Yunho’s hardly paying attention to their back and forth, because his eyes have found themselves hyper-fixated on Hongjoong’s small hand, moving across Seonghwa’s shoulder, dipping down to his side. It’ll hit his waist at any moment. He can’t even hear one bit what the two are talking about anymore he’s so focused on the hand.

And Yunho doesn’t know why, he doesn’t know what was the exact trigger, but one second Hongjoong is talking on to Seonghwa like usual and the next, both felines are looking dead serious at Yunho, eyes widened in surprise. The taller boy straightens up uncomfortably, looking back and forth between Seonghwa and Hongjoong, who has retracted his hand from Seonghwa’s side. Upon further inspection, the smaller feline’s tail seems to have puffed up the slightest bit.

“Yunho what... what was that?” Seonghwa seems slightly irritated. Yunho shook his head to clear his vision. 

Why was Seonghwa so on edge? “I... what? What do you mea-“

“You just growled at Hongjoong. Like, just a few seconds ago.” Seonghwa’s ear twitches in annoyance.

Hongjoong gets up and puts himself in between the two. “Woah, hey, I’m good! It was just a little growl, nothing to get upset about... I know you didn’t mean anything by it, Yunho.” He gives the dog hybrid a small nod but noticeably keeps his distance, tail still a bit spiked.

What? Did he really... did he really just do that? The question circulated Yunho’s mind all the while Seonghwa’s expression was pretty telling. Yunho feels some tears coming at thought that he’d scare _anyone_. “I- Hongjoong I’m... I'm sorry I didn’t mean to-“

“It’s okay, man. Really. Sometimes our instincts... get the best of us, right?” He shrugs halfheartedly, giving Yunho one last mixed glance before patting Seonghwa on the back. “See you soon, Hwa.” And leaving the two alone again.

They don’t speak about it again, as one of Seonghwa’s classes was starting soon and the older boy needed to fetch something at the library beforehand. Still, the incident overshadows Yunho’s thoughts throughout the rest of the day, clawing at his mind, urging him to try and unlock that door of uncertainty, one that delved further into the idea that Yunho was turning into a... an overprotective freak. And he didn’t want to confront that right now.

His body felt strange enough as it is.

Halfway through his dance practice, Yunho excuses himself, telling his instructor he felt sick, that he needed to call home. But when the pup retreated to the bathrooms, he didn’t phone his eomma. He phoned Seonghwa.

The ringtone echoed in his ears and made him sweat with nervousness... fuck he hoped he could get home in time to beat this.

_”Yunho?”_ Fuck, it felt good to hear his voice...

“Hyung... I think... I think I my rut is coming.”

_”Like- like right now? Do you need me to go get you, pup?”_

“No... no you should finish classes for the day just- could you come to my house after school?” Yunho could get his eomma out of the house and gather tissues and supplies by that time. He didn’t want a repeat of his last rut... 

_”Are you sure? I can ask Dahyun to take notes for me-“_

“No. No, Hyung just finish classes. I’ll be fine.”

There’s silence on the line. Then a sigh. _”Okay, Yunho... just call me if it’s too much, right?”_

Yunho tries to sound confident as he could when he responds. “I’ll be fine, Hyung.”

A quick bus ride home, nasty shower and room cleanup later, Yunho is not fine. He was definitely not fine, probably the furthest thing from fine at this point. His brain was racing a million miles a second, til he couldn’t tell what was what among the ruckus, just a blur, fuzz and wool in his brain. And it made his mind go blank with... with arousal. He needed- he needed him. He needed Seonghwa right here right now. 

Yunho leant back against the headboard of his bed, gasping when his bare back hits the cold surface of the wood. He can feel perspiration forming on his forehead, hair fluffed up from where he’s been messing with it nervously. His cock was hard and throbbing in his sweatpants and he _needed_ , he needed so badly for Seonghwa to be here. He needed to breath in his scent, let it fill up his whole system, guide him towards release. He needed Seonghwa’s soft hands on his skin, just a kiss on the forehead, even a soft caress of the cheek would do. He just needed him to be there right now.

The dog hybrid thinks it might have looked like he had been anticipating death itself knocking at his door when he hears the open and shut of the front door vibrate throughout his room. Seonghwa’s here. He’s here and he’s going to help Yunho... the pup moans out loud at the memory of Seonghwa’s soft heat around him, how the pleasure would spike when he purred...

Seonghwa enters Yunho’s room after a small knock on the door and is greeted with the sight of Yunho immediately scrambling off the bed and rushing to cling to his form like he’s the last landmark in sight. Yunho can feel his throbbing cock pressed through his pants against Seonghwa’s thigh, grinding into him ever so slightly and whining. The room smells like roses now, roses and peaches, what a lovely scent. 

“Hyung... Seonghwa Hyung.”

Seonghwa purrs. “Were you okay without me, pup?”

“No. Better... better now. So much better now.”

In no time at all, Seonghwa is stripping down to his bare, beautiful skin, purring gently while moving the taller pup and himself towards the bed, tail flicking behind him. Yunho wants to touch it. Seonghwa looks so pretty right there, so pretty against the sheets. And Yunho, Yunho wants so desperately to please him.

He gets in between his Hyung’s legs instinctively and hoists them up in one go, Seonghwa squeaking in surprise below him, arms hanging back helplessly. The cat hybrid’s legs are positioned over Yunho’s shoulders now, exposing his pretty cock and puckered hole to the taller boy who feels like he’s getting higher and higher into the realm of his rut-effected mind with each breath of Seonghwa’s scent into his system.

Yunho wants... he wants to please Seonghwa. He wants to make him feel good. And the scent coming from his slick is absolutely, positively _intoxicating_...

The taller boy leans in, taking one hand to spread his Hyung’s cheeks and begin to lap gently at Seonghwa’s slick dripping out of his hole, swallowing every drop he can. And the noises beginning to slip from Seonghwa’s mouth are so... pretty and breathy, soft little gasps moving up into high-pitched whines, tail twitching and coiling up around the dog hybrid’s arm holding Seonghwa in place. Yunho wants to keep drawing those sounds out of him, make him feel loved, full, bred... 

He moves upwards to nose lightly at the cat hybrid’s tight balls, sucking them in his mouth and licking them steadily, and when he begins to lap up the length of the older boy’s pretty cock, Seonghwa arches deliciously below him, babbling mindlessly about how good it feels, how bold Yunho is. Yunho just hums in satisfaction, he’s doing good... he’s making his omega feel good... 

Seonghwa’s cock is so pretty and smooth, flushed head shiny with the dribbles of precum dripping from the slit, and Yunho decides he kind of really wants it in his mouth. The golden-haired boy takes his cock down in one go, letting the whole length rest on his tongue, sucking incessantly as Seonghwa scrambled to find purchase on the mattress below him, throwing his head back in pleasure. Yunho continues to hollow his cheeks and suck until Seonghwa starts yelping out.

“Yunho... Yunho stop, stop pup or I’ll come right now...” Yunho immediately takes his mouth off of Seonghwa’s wet, pretty cock, face still buried in his crotch, watching on silently as the cat hybrid heaved and sighed below him, chest moving up and down rapidly at the sensation of getting close to release and then having to back up again. Yunho whines, leaning his head against Seonghwa’s inner thigh and waiting patiently for his Hyung to regain some composure. 

But it’s there he picks up another scent, faint but definitely there, mixed in with Seonghwa’s rosy musk. What was this? Yunho buries his nose further, the scent gathering at the cat hybrid’s perineum. That was definitely the scent of someone else... and that foreign smell sends the little bit of control Yunho had been maintaining over his instincts flying out over the edge, rationale leaving his thoughts completely. His omega had been seeing someone else.

Was he not enough for his omega, was he not pleasing him the way he needed? Was that why he was getting help from another alpha? Did Yunho do something wrong? The pup whines loud and upset, the foreign scent still playing with his mind. Seonghwa picks up on it, ears perking up, concerned.

“Yunho, pup what’s the matter? What’s wrong?”

Yunho can’t find the words to describe how ridiculously devastated he was feeling right now, completely swallowed up by his alpha instincts, forgetting that he _knew_ Seonghwa had been sleeping with Hongjoong regularly as well. All he could comprehend was the scent of another alpha on the inner corner of his omega’s thighs. Did his omega not like him? He loved his omega so so much... all he wanted was for his omega to love him back. 

“Baby... what’s wrong?” Seonghwa places a hand on Yunho’s cheek and caresses the skin there softly. Yunho can feel a few loose tears welling up in his eyes, missing the way Seonghwa called him baby. 

“I- are you.. were you with another- another alpha?” Yunho whimpers, eyes big and innocent. His omega blinks, still confused. 

“Yunho, baby I- I don’t understand... are you talking about Hongjoong?” 

Yunho sniffed, curling up in a ball, pressing his legs to his chest and shaking in sadness. He can’t wrap his head around the idea that... that his omega was with another alpha, that Yunho had been such a bad alpha that his omega had gone to another... “Am... am I not enough?” He asks.

“Of- of course you’re enough, Yunho!”

“But... you were with another alpha...” 

“Oh pup...” Seonghwa gently moved Yunho’s hand away from his face and tilted the taller boy’s head to look at him. “You’re the best alpha, Yunho you’re doing so well, you’re so good for me.” Yunho sniffled a bit, not sure that he believed his omega.

“I won’t see that other alpha anymore, puppy, okay? I don’t need him...”

“Promise?” Yunho perks back up at his omega

“I promise, pup. You’re all I really need, right?” Seonghwa smiles adoringly at Yunho and began to pet his ears, to which Yunho instantly latches onto him, smothering the cat hybrid’s neck with soft, needy kisses. His omega just giggles and continues to pet Yunho while watching his tail wag steadily behind him. Yunho licked up all he could of his omega’s scent... he was still upset his omega had been with someone else and wanted to meld their scents together as much as possible... make it so his omega forgot all about that other alpha. And all that remained was him and his omega.

“I... I wanna be good for you. I wanna be a good alpha.” Yunho says embarrassingly, face flushing red. He begins to maneuver the two of them around, lifting his omega’s legs and prodding his cock between the skin of the dark-haired boy’s asscheeks when his omega stops him, pushing back all of a sudden. “Wait...”

Yunho springs back and takes his hands off, afraid that he had done something wrong, but the cat hybrid doesn’t look upset, maybe nervous. Yunho awaits his omega’s instructions, sitting back on his knees.

“How about we try something different this time?” Seonghwa proposes. Yunho blinks. Different? Did his omega not want Yunho to knot him? Yunho would do whatever he asked but he really, _really_ wanted to knot him...

The cat hybrid guides Yunho around so that they’ve switched positions, the pup’s back hitting the mattress with a small huff. His omega begins to loom over Yunho’s form, fluffy tail raised in interest and eyes running down the dog hybrid’s body like a panther that’s just caught its prey. Yunho suddenly feels very vulnerable as Seonghwa settles himself, ass finding its home against the golden-haired boy’s thighs. 

“You okay like this?” His omega tilts his head, ears perking cutely. Yunho really wants to lick them, but he stays still for his omega, nodding in response. The cat hybrid smiles. “Perfect... if it’s too much then please tell me and I’ll stop immediately, okay?” Yunho nodded again, letting himself relax against his soft cotton sheets, gazing lazily up at his beautiful omega, how he can now look over his whole body, all his muscles and curves from this position. His omega bites his lip as he situates himself over Yunho’s length, slender fingers holding it in place gently. Yunho gets the urge to thrust up but still waits patiently. 

Seonghwa sinks down slowly, gradually adjusting to Yunho’s size and the pup can feel every inch of his thick length entering him, whining when he bottoms out with Seonghwa’s soft walls all around him perfectly. Looking back up, his omega looks like he might cry, mouth slightly opened, eyes glazed over...

“Are... are you okay?” Yunho asks tentatively. His omega looks upset... Yunho wants to make him feel loved and full, not upset... never upset. He didn’t want his omega to feel like he had to find another alpha to get what he needed... Yunho wanted to be everything he needed.

“I’m good, pup... so good.” His omega places his hands on Yunho’s chest and runs his palms down his ab muscles, looking over his body appreciatively. “Fuck, you’re so _big_ inside... so big inside me...” So the pained look was... good? Yunho had a hard time thinking about that in this state, intent on giving his omega anything he pleased. If his omega says he’s okay then Yunho will trust him.

His omega slowly lifts himself up, legs bent, cock hot as it slides out of his hole, up to the tip so that it barely touches and then he’s slipping back down with a loud, wet sound and even if it’s just one movement Yunho already feels the growing need to knot him welling up in the pup’s lower stomach. He restrains himself, forcing down the rising urge to flip his omega over and do the work for him. This was his omega’s turn to take the lead, he’ll be good for him.

The older boy lets out a nervous huff above Yunho, two hands on his pecs, squeezing the burgeoning muscle there, gauging the pup’s reaction. It’s slow, torturous movements at first, his omega taking his sweet time grinding down onto Yunho’s cock, taking him balls deep and then stopping partway through to watch the taller boy pant in desperation sadistically. His omega would coo at him and wipe away a bit of moisture from Yunho’s forehead so sweetly. The pup grabbed his hand and pressed his omega’s wrist against his nose, smelling the rosy scent there. 

“M- more...” Yunho whimpers out, pleading with the older boy’s heat so tempting around him. 

At that, his omega seems to get the idea and begins to quicken his pace a bit, and that’s when Yunho can feel his arousal pooling bigger and bigger inside him with the wet squelching becoming more and more erratic. The sounds should be gross really, but Yunho just wants to hear them more and more, gaze on at his omega’s lidded eyes piercing straight at him, making direct eye contact and not glancing away once, like he’s looking right through Yunho’s soul, _demanding_ his unending attention.

“Good... good, Yunho... you’re so good. You’re doing amazing for me, pup.” He was doing good... he was being good for his omega. Fuck, Yunho wanted to cum so badly, he wanted to fuck up into his pretty omega so badly, watch him hang off of there, make him think only of Yunho and no one else.

“Omega... omega, I- faster...” The pup can feel his knot forming, release sneaking up on him so closely, cock throbbing... he wanted to knot him. 

“Knot me, pup. Cmon...” His omega breathes out. And that was the last request to tip Yunho over the edge, knot swelling bigger and bigger at the base, plugging the older boy up so all he could do was grind deliciously down onto Yunho’s length, trying to ride the pup the last few steps to his orgasm.

Yunho throws his head back with a force and feels his nerves light up, then go numb with pleasure as he releases into his omega’s tight wet heat, unable to thrust and pump up into him but grateful that Seonghwa was still grinding down to a steady rhythm, hole so slicked up and inviting... he feels like he might pass out with the strength of his orgasm, mind fuzzy. Was this... was this supposed to happen?

“Cool down.... cool down period?” Seonghwa stills above him. Yunho glances foreword, vision blurred to see the older boy had come as well, sticky and messy all up his stomach. Fuck... fuck this... was so much more confusing than his first rut... Yunho didn’t know how to tell right from left, which thoughts were his and which were his alpha, battling in his head. And it didn’t even feel like cool down period anymore because it seemed as if no time had passed when suddenly his knot reduced again. Seonghwa’s eyes widened with surprise when he noticed the knot’s disappearance. 

“Is that... you need to go again? Already?” The cat hybrid asks nervously, still sitting his ass on Yunho’s length, bringing his tail around to play with the fur there out of anxiousness. Fuck... fuck, Seonghwa wasn’t ready. He wasn’t ready, his body was still probably recovering but Yunho needed it _now_. He needed to fuck up into him, he needed his heat. 

“I- you don’t have to-“ Yunho’s words broke off into a pained whimper involuntarily, gripping onto the sheets to restrain himself but he knew it wouldn’t work.

Luckily, Seonghwa just pushes his sweaty hair back and tries to get into a movable position again. “It’s okay, pup it’s okay... I can do it... I’ll help you....” And Yunho breaths out a sigh of relief, already relinquishing control to dip back into his rut-high. Fuck, he needed release so badly.

Seonghwa’s movements are sloppier this time, the cat hybrid clearly trying to keep up a pace but with his weakened state it wasn’t easy. Even so, the older boy is letting out more rose petal scent than ever before. Yunho just laid back and tried succumbing into rosy bliss, ignoring the urge to thrust up... it would only hurt him, it would push Seonghwa beyond his limits. And Yunho didn’t want that.

His grip on Yunho’s pecs gets tighter and his omega starts letting out tiny little high-pitched moans, each rough drop forcing another small noise out of his plush lips... it was only somewhat into the second round and... he seems like he’s losing his gusto, understandably and simultaneously Yunho is finding it harder and harder to press down the urge to fuck, to breed and take out his energy.

Yunho can’t take it anymore... he needs to fuck his omega properly, make him feel full, work to please him... if he doesn’t he feels like he might go insane. So in one go, the pup wraps his arms around Seonghwa and flips them around as graciously as he could, the cat hybrid letting out a surprised yelp when his head lands on the pillow. 

“Gonna...” Yunho breathes out, voice deep with desire. “Gonna make you forget about- about that other alpha...” He can feel Seonghwa’s tight walls clenching and releasing around him and it’s so much... he’s blinded with need. Every breath of his omega’s scent was like a breath of heaven. 

He wants nothing more than to fill him, pump his omega’s stomach full of seed, breed him so well. His omega’s pink tongue is sticking out cutely, letting out these little breathy, mewling sounds every time Yunho curves his his thrusts and the pup loves it. He’s making his omega feel good, he’s pleasing him like he needs.

Yunho releases a second round of cum into his omega, pumping it steadily inside, making sure to stuff him up all the way, as much as possible. He loves his omega, loves him so much and wants to give him all he can. And the cat hybrid shivers as Yunho finishes releasing his load, tiny little mumbles escaping his lips as he releases onto his own chest, eyes shut like he wasn’t able to bear it. 

“Omega...” Yunho murmurs, recovering from the aftermath of his orgasm quicker as a means to help his omega. “Omega... so pretty. So pretty, omega...” He began his routine of licking his omega til he was unsoiled again, marveling at the pristine skin there, warm and tanned. He wanted to suck more marks into his omega but... he felt like his omega wouldn’t like that, that it would upset him more. Yunho wants to suck so many lovebites into his omega, so that everyone knew he was claimed, but his omega didn’t like that... his omega didn’t like that last time... it had made his omega sad, hadn’t it?

Seonghwa’s breathing is heavy and strained, still pulsing around Yunho’s knot, head slung over to the side. Yunho whines. Maybe if he couldn’t mark his omega, then his omega would want to mark him? The dog hybrid keeps trying to bare his neck very obviously, waiting for his omega to get the cue and lean up to suck bites into him but... his omega isn’t responding. 

“Omega?” Yunho moves them into a position on their sides, Seonghwa’s legs still bent up around Yunho, kept in that position by the pup’s knot. The cat hybrid blinks at the taller boy hazily, eyes adjusting.

“I need... I need to rest, pup.” His voice is fatigued. Yunho whimpers, afraid that he’s hurt his omega. If he was tired then... Yunho should let him rest, but his heart hurt so, so much. He just wanted to make him happy... He begins gently lapping at his omega’s neck, feeling ever so grateful. His omega had been so kind to him, so strong and willing to help Yunho, able to put up with his neediness with patience... if only Yunho could give him something back, something equally valuable, as his alpha.

“I love you.” Yunho murmured into his omega’s neck, feeling his heart beat faster and mind go fuzzier. He loved the feeling, he loved his omega. His omega was so kind and beautiful, he just wanted him to know just how much Yunho appreciated him. 

But then, his omega stiffens in his partial slumber, hands going clammy on Yunho’s skin. His scent had turned sour in a second and the pup picked up on it even before that, sweet rosy scent long gone. He made his... he made his omega upset. Yunho began to tear up even before the cat hybrid pulled back to look at the pup’s face and when he did...

His omega looked... sad. No, his omega looked scared. He looked terrified, eyes big and mouth slightly open as if he couldn’t find any words to describe his emotions right now. And Yunho had done this to him. 

_______

“I love you.” 

Seonghwa freezes, heart beating faster than he could possibly imagine. He couldn’t talk, he couldn’t run, he couldn’t do anything but sit in silence as Yunho uttered the most damning words... why would he say that? Why?

Seonghwa pulls back and is met with a confused, teary-eyed Yunho, eyes scanning the cat hybrid’s face for any small sign of what he might have done wrong. Of course Yunho would pick up on Seonghwa’s sudden energy change. 

“Pup...”

Seonghwa takes Yunho’s face in his hands gently, heart aching when the pup puts his own hand over one of Seonghwa’s, pressing the cat hybrid’s fingers firmer into his skin. His eyes are big and watery, looking back at the older boy with longing, and that’s when he says it again. “I love you...” 

“No you don’t.” Seonghwa whispers immediately, soft as a feather, heartache spiking.

Yunho looks taken aback, beginning to tear up even more, stray tears leaking from his eyes. “Y- Yes I do! I do love you... you’re my omega.”

“Exactly.” Seonghwa says, voice shrill. Yunho doesn’t love him, his alpha is infatuated with the idea of this perfect omega who came to relieve him during his first rut, who saved him. It was clear now that all Seonghwa had done by helping him was make things worse, forcing his friend to develop this... unnatural, irreversible attachment to him. 

Yunho whimpers, blinking away his tears, holding Seonghwa’s hand close. The pup leans in, trying to tilt his face to fit with the cat hybrid’s, lips parted. He- he was trying to kiss him, like actually kiss him. But Seonghwa stops him before his could get closer, hand on his cheek holding him back. He can’t... he can’t do this. He can’t do this anymore.

But he can’t leave either, not with Yunho still snug inside him, keeping their connection with his knot which, if this rut is anything like the last, won’t go down for a while.

The taller boy’s face seems like it’s riddled with bullets of heartbreak, and Seonghwa can feel the vibrations of his whimpers from how close they were, making Seonghwa’s body shudder with fear, unable to do... unable to do anything but watch as Yunho caves in on himself.

“My ome-“ Yunho’s words are almost unrecognizable between his sobs. “My omega...” But Seonghwa is too scared, to mortified to move an inch from his position, legs still scrunched up around Yunho’s, knot hardly showing any signs of going down. 

Eventually, the pup does begin to nod off, sobs getting fainter, shaking slowing to a small shudder. Even so, Seonghwa still remains frozen, unsure of what to so, what to say. It’s like time has sped up... or slowed down? He isn’t sure at this point. But as Yunho gives in to his exhaustion, body wasted and heart shattered, Seonghwa reaches out a tentative hand, and touches his best friend’s cheek as his eye close. 

He pulls the covers up around him, tucking him in cautiously, but confident that he wouldn’t wake back up. His heart aches harder when the pup whines and twitches in his sleep, body jerking just a bit. Seonghwa can’t seem to purr right now or he would.

When Seonghwa is sure that Yunho is fast asleep, he leans over his best friend, heart aching when he sees his best friend’s dried tears still staining a bit of the pillow. The pup is still curled in on himself, mouth in a pout that would be adorable if not for the reason behind it. Seonghwa thinks there’s never been a more precious sight, gently petting his ears and gazing longingly at his face. “Yunho... Yunho, darling...”

Seonghwa’s voice is shaky when he whispers, not as much to Yunho’s sleeping form but into the night. “You light up my day just by existing, pup.... you’re the most...” Seonghwa feels as if he might start crying again as well, blinking back his tears. “You’re the most important person in the world to me...” 

The cat hybrid shuffles closer to Yunho, not putting his arms around the pup but leaning foreword ever so slightly, so that their noses barely touch. “I’m so... I’m so so sorry.”

Seonghwa can’t remember falling asleep that night, just the sound of Yunho’s crying echoing throughout his dreams, telling him again and again that... he may not have been selfish for his feelings alone, but he sure felt selfish now.

_______

“Hyung, you’re awake!” Yunho’s tail is wagging proudly, holding a half-burnt pan of fried rice in one hand, the crusted spatula in another and Seonghwa is just gaping back at him in shock.

The pup had been gone from the bed, some of his warmth still lingering there, the whole room smelling no longer soured but of the familiar fresh peaches and cream that indicated a happy Yunho when Seonghwa had awoken. Strangely enough, the cat hybrid examined the scene further to find a glass of water sat nearly on the nightstand, and upon even closer inspection his nether regions had been cleaned thoroughly before Seonghwa had awoken. What? Had Yunho got up, cleaned everything and bolted in fear, or sadness? 

Seonghwa grabbed a t-shirt off of the dresser and his own boxers on the floor and burst the door open, heading downstairs to find his phone and figure out where Yunho had gone when he came face to face with the younger boy, expression bright with excitement and showing no signs of trauma or upset whatsoever. “Hyung, you’re awake! I made breakfast for you! Or... I mean it’s kind of lunch I guess since it’s the afternoon...” Yunho trails off, noticing Seonghwa’s own expression then. “Is something wrong?” 

Seonghwa takes a deep breath. “Do you... do you remember anything that happened during your rut last night, pup?” The only explanation for this was that Yunho had been drugged and didn't remember last night ever even happening, or that he was going insane. Seonghwa hoped it was the former.

Yunho blinks confusedly and tilts his head like he’s trying to recall. “I think... I think I blanked out halfway through... like, honestly I can’t remember past the...” Yunho blushes, ears burning red. “The uh, the part where you were on top of me and... ugh.” He puts a hand over his reddened face, looking back and forth between Seonghwa and the rice in front of him adorably.

Even though he’s still trying to process this strange reality that Yunho doesn’t remember one bit of his breakdown last night, Seonghwa can’t help but giggle at Yunho’s best effort to try and describe sex. Well then... the only explanation was that Yunho must have passed out from exhaustion, not actually fallen asleep last night and that he couldn’t remember anything because of that. That made sense, right? 

The two of them sat down to eat the pup’s creation which tastes... like onions and pan grease. Seonghwa chokes it down anyways, promising himself that he would make sure to always wake up before his best friend from now on. Yunho perks his ears back up when he looks back at Seonghwa, eyes scanning him.

“No pesky marks this time, right, Hyung?” Yunho smiles wide as he examines Seonghwa’s neck and collarbones, exposed from the collar of the pup’s oversized t-shirt. 

The older boy touched his neck softly. “Nope... I guess you had more control this time around, huh, pup.” 

Yunho smiles back at him, wagging his tail proudly. “That’s a relief to hear... Was I good? I mean not like- wait...” Yunho catches himself, blushing once more. “I don’t mean like was I good in- in bed or any of that but...” He sighs. “Like, was I... gentle?” 

“Always.” Seonghwa purred. Yunho had never... he had never been rough with Seonghwa ever. Desperate and full of gusto, sure but never really rough. The pup’s sweet peach scent was comforting and never dominating, never used to overwhelm Seonghwa in any which way unlike what Wooyoung had described, alphas using scents to make their partners submit. The cat hybrid would always wonder again and again why Yunho insisted on framing himself as a monster.

Yunho began talking about the end of year dance, Seonghwa reminding him it’s supposed to be called prom but Yunho protesting that prom sounded so scary and official, that him and Wooyoung had been calling it dance party of doom, their launch into adulthood. Their conversation continues like nothing had happened at all... but Seonghwa can’t stop thinking about last night, the image in his head of the happy, chatty boy in front of him heartbroken and shattered because of Seonghwa. 

If Yunho really didn’t remember a thing then... the cat hybrid was reluctant to tell him. Yunho might not believe him first of all but second of all what would he even say? ‘You think you’re in love with me but you’re not because your instincts think I’m your omega’ isn’t exactly the best statement to start the day with. And Yunho looks so happy... so at ease with himself, the pup fully believing that last night had been nothing but business as usual for the two of them. Seonghwa wanted to get that image of Yunho curled up and crying into the pillow next to him out of his mind. 

The cat hybrid wonders as he gazes at Yunho across the table if the pup remembered ever telling Seonghwa... telling him that he loved him and he quickly shakes his head to brush it away. It wasn’t... it wasn’t real anyways so why should he even bother pondering? One thing was certain though, and that was that Seonghwa wouldn’t offer to help Yunho with his ruts again. He has already caused too much damage to Yunho’s life. 

In the end, Seonghwa felt that last night should remain exactly what it was, a bad dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmmm... i wonder if Seonghwa’s theory about Yunho’s feelings is correct or not?
> 
> anyways, thank you for all the love and support everyone has given this fic, it really keeps me going when writing new chapters! i’m glad my writing has been entertaining to you all <3
> 
> thank you for reading <3


	13. Study Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter thirteen!! this and the next chapter go hand in hand, i’ll try to update a bit quicker next time... 
> 
> hope you all enjoy! and thank you all for all of the lovely comments and kudos!

“There’s about a million different reasons why this question is completely irrelevant...” Yunho can feel his brain numbing as he reads over the upper-schooling applications for the dance program. Half the questionnaire is just the rephrasing of ‘what are your aspirations in this course’ and he’s slowly becoming tempted to just hand in the form half empty, might as well. “And what’s this stuff about one of the studios having “particularly low ceilings” so we might not be able to jump? Mingi, we should just rent our own space in town...”

“Okay, low ceilings? Really? I’ve been in that studio near the auditorium a million times it’s perfectly normal there.” Yeosang says, lying on his stomach across his bed, sheets all messed up from his rolling around.

“Silence, theater kid.” Mingi says loudly from next to Yunho. The two of them are curled up in a puppy pile on the wolf hybrid’s bed, bowl of plain cheerios and cheese puffs (Mingi’s idea) placed snug in between them as they tap away at their laptops. 

“Yeah, stop undermining our pain existing in the world as tall people, Yeosang.” Yunho fires back.

“People under 178 centimeters shouldn’t be allowed rights. There, I said it.” Mingi stuffs a handful of the snack mix into his mouth and smiles with full cheeks, scrunching his eyes up at the fox hybrid across the room, who gives him a sarcastic laugh in return.

“You guys are insufferable with your... elitist tall person pile...” Yeosang rolls his eyes, glaring at the two canines piled on top of each other sharing the space of the too-small mattress.

“We do not take criticism from midgets, sorry. This message has been brought to you by the tall person bed.” Yunho gives Mingi a fist bump with a little explosion right after and Yeosang just sighs and plants his face onto his mattress, groaning into the fabric.

“Fuck this... I need Woo here to boost my self-esteem.” The fox hybrid mutters when he resurfaces.

Mingi perks his ears up. “Where’s Woo and Seonghwa Hyung anyway? I thought you texted them earlier...” It’s been about one hour into their evening study session at Mingi and Yeosang’s dorm and the remaining two members of their friend group are noticeably absent. 

“Seonghwa said they’re doing some shopping thing tonight, couldn’t make it.” Yeosang shrugs. 

“They’ve been spending a lot of... alone time together, right? I’m not crazy...” Yunho asks, looking back and forth between Yeosang and Mingi. Every chance Seonghwa has gotten in the last week or so, maybe since Yunho’s last rut, he’s been spending with the curly-tailed pup. It wouldn’t be suspicious or out of the ordinary if it wasn’t to this extreme. 

“Probably just dumb gossip club or something. I mean, Woo is an absolute nutzoid when it comes to that shit, he’s probably trying to get Seonghwa a date for prom.” Yeosang makes little doodles at the edge of his paper. Yunho’s body does a thing when the fox hybrid says the word ‘date’.

“Maybe it’s just you know, like, omega/queen solidarity? That’s a thing, right...?” Mingi guesses.

“Okay, but I’m a beta who gets heats. Why didn’t they invite me?” Yeosang counters, flicking an ear. 

Yunho sighs. It’s not that he’s jealous or anything, Wooyoung is his friend too. But it’s not just the strange amount of alone buddy-buddy time they’re spending together, Seonghwa is a mystery all on his own these days.

The thing was, Seonghwa had been acting... jumpy, ever since Yunho’s last rut. The pup will notice it at the most random times too. Even when he brought the cat hybrid tteokbokki for lunch (made fresh that morning by his eomma), Seonghwa had gotten so excited before drooping and acting weird again. Overall, Yunho was worried about his best friend, but at the very least he didn’t seem to be distancing himself. Him and Seonghwa carried on their business as usual for the most part, the strange mood swings occurring every now and then.

In the present, Yeosang and Mingi are now giggling over something else entirely, Yunho having missed about half of the last conversation.

“You’re an absolute player, Mingi... that poor guy probably thinks you’re ghosting him!” 

“I just don’t know what to say! Like, what do I even say back after that?!”

“What are you guys talking about...?” Yunho laughs a bit at the end of his question, sitting himself up from his previously slumped down position. Mingi laughs back nervously, looking at Yeosang for some kind of aid.

Yeosang rolls his eyes back. “Mingi over there’s got... fuck, am I allowed to say it?” He asks, eyebrow raised questioningly. Mingi just blushes and nods, eyes going from Yunho to the fox hybrid not quick enough for the pup to miss.

“You guys are just fucking with me now... C’mon, tell me!” Yunho gives Mingi a playful little shove.

“Mingi’s got an admirer.” Yeosang raises both his eyebrows now suggestively. “And he’s pretty intent on taking him to prom this month too...” An admirer? Seems Mingi was getting over his crush on Yunho quicker than he thought. The pup is just proud of the wolf hybrid to have found himself after that mess of a birthday party. Mingi was finally branching out a bit.

Mingi turns the color of his hair, which has faded to a pinkish hue, squealing and grabbing the pillow from behind him, clutching it to his chest so it hides his face.

“Mingi... When were you gonna tell me?” Yunho batters the other canine up a bit with his fists as Mingi continues to use the pillow as a shield.

“It’s some beta guy who works at the pizza place. He hasn’t even told me his _name_ , what the fuck is up, Mingi?” Yeosang throws a hand up and gives Mingi a confused look.

“I’ll introduce you guys at the dance! It’s only in two weeks! I told you I would!” 

“We’re impatient, Mingi!” Yunho says back.

“Yeah, we’re a bunch of impatient little shits, I thought you knew us by now.” Yeosang adds.

“You’re one to talk, Yeo.” Mingi changes the subject, throwing his pillow at the fox hybrid, who catches it on one hand, laughing and toppling onto the bed, laying back. “What about you and your boy toy?”

“My _what_?” Yeosang laughs out, smiling. 

“Oh fuck...” Yunho giggles, knowing exactly who Mingi is talking about.

“Stop playing dumb, you know what I’m talking about! You and Jongho were about to start boning each other at that weird Choi San house party!” Mingi practically yells.

“It _was_ pretty obvious, Yeosang. We could all see you trying to get into his lap.” Yunho remarks. Yeosang looks like he’s trying his best to keep laughing but is utterly failing, face gradually going dark with droopiness. Mingi stops laughing at that point, expression concerned for their friend.

“Me and... me and Jongho aren’t talking right now...” Yeosang mutters, voice serious. Mingi pouts and mutters an ‘I’m sorry’ to the fox hybrid.

“That’s too bad... I hope you guys get through it.” Yunho says. It’s surprising news. Last Yunho had seen of Yeosang’s best friend, the two canines were practically attached at the hip.

“It’s... it’s pretty messy right now. I don’t really feel like talking about it, but... don’t expect to see him around me anytime soon.” Yeosang gives them a sad smile. Yunho whines. He would hop over and try to comfort the smaller boy if he wasn’t so tangled up with Mingi right now. And if he wasn’t scared of Yeosang biting his arm off if he tried.

And as the familiar silence of tapping keyboards and scratches on paper resumes throughout the room, Mingi shifts from his spot on the bed, untangling himself from Yunho and stretching out his arms, yawning. “I’m gonna head out... need to talk to my parents tonight. Yeo, lock up okay? I’m staying at my house tonight.”

“Sure thing.” Yeosang gives Mingi a small wave as the tall canine grabs his duffel bag and his jacket. Before he leaves, the wolf hybrid turns back to Yunho and gives him a big, wide smile, eyes scrunching up a bit and Yunho returns it. 

“See you, Mingi.”

“See you... and hey, we’ve gotta talk about that renting a dance studio thing, I’d totally be into it.” He does an air-tip of the hat and the door clicks shit behind him, bushy tail wagging as he goes.

Yeosang doesn’t look up from his laptop when he asks. “Going home soon?”

Yunho lets out a deep breath of exhaustion. “Not if I can help it... you got Mingi’s notes from yesterday?”

“Yep.” Yeosang reaches over to his desk right next to his bed and tosses a stapled bunch of papers messily over to the dog hybrid, Yunho laughing at his efforts. “I’m tired, Yunho. What do you expect.”

“You don’t mind me staying longer?”

“I’m gonna be up all night playing final fantasy anyways... might as well have a laptop light-buddy” The fox hybrid flicks an ear, settling back down into his couch potato position.

The room is near-silent once more, faint sounds heard from Yeosang’s headset across the room. It’s a peaceful night to say the least, Yunho just wishes Seonghwa and Wooyoung had been there earlier that evening. Oh well, there was always next time he guesses. 

If he was telling the truth, Yunho had wanted to walk home with Seonghwa and maybe ask him what’s been troubling him these past few weeks. The dog hybrid has a sneaking suspicion that it had to do with his rut in some way, that would explain why it started happening right after his last one. The biggest part of him was afraid that he had done something to hurt or scare Seonghwa, and that the older boy just wasn’t telling him out of kindness. The cat hybrid didn’t seem hesitant to make physical contact with him though... maybe Yunho had pushed his boundaries mentally, not physically? He just wasn’t sure. 

Yunho tries to ignore the voice in his head telling him to go ahead and send Seonghwa a text, just as he tries to ignore the dull little throbbing in his abdomen as he types away on his laptop, glancing back and forth at Mingi’s notes under the white light of the screen. The throbbing has gotten stronger in the last few minutes. Probably that dumb snack mix acting up.

_______

“But like, I’m ninety percent sure Yunho’s gonna have no problem getting a mate quick.” Wooyoung is leaning back on his side of the booth, restaurant sounds bustling all around them in the dim warm lighting. “The guy’s got his own fan club for fucks sake, everyone is gonna want a bite of that hunk!”

“We need to help him find a good partner... or a stand-in at least if he’s going to get through his ruts in one piece.” Seonghwa says back. Ever since his best friend’s last rut, the cat hybrid had sought out the social abilities of Wooyoung to try and find the pup someone who could take Seonghwa’s place during Yunho’s heats. Of course, he didn’t tell the smaller pup the details of the last part. 

“Well I mean, you were there right? Can you like, gauge what the intensity was? Sex-drive wise I mean.” Wooyoung says with no remorse right in the middle of the restaurant. Seonghwa stiffens up and awkwardly responds.

“It was... he was freaking out. Scratching and walls and stuff... I got him a fleshlight too, that didn’t work.” Yunho _had_ been freaking out, he wasn’t lying. It was just that Seonghwa had been able to effectively calm the pup down, sedate him in a way just by being there. Seonghwa did feel guilty about not telling Wooyoung the whole truth. He knew it was for the best, that he couldn’t predict the pup’s reaction, any of their friends reactions for that matter, if one of them were to find out suddenly. Even if he didn’t tell anyone the part about Seonghwa’s affections, it was a risk neither him nor Yunho were willing to take.

And, in Seonghwa’s opinion, a risk that didn’t seem worth taking in the first place. That’s why he’s been trying to hook his best friend up with someone else, someone who was... right for him. That didn’t take advantage of him the way Seonghwa had. Then they could both put this mess behind them like it’d never happened.

“Like I said, Hwa... this is kind of an iffy scenario here.” Wooyoung sips his soda. “I mean, from what I know Yunho’s never even had a crush on anyone! At this point I’m half sure the guy is just aromantic.”

“You’re right... He’s always turned everyone down, hasn’t he?” Seonghwa hadn’t thought of that. In the entire time they’d known each other, Yunho had never expressed having a crush, or even attraction towards anyone. Not one person, none of the canines who tried asking him out, even while Seonghwa would blush every now and then in the presence of a really attractive person... Yunho would always show no reaction to anyone around him. Maybe the boy was aromantic after all? That would put to rest Seonghwa’s affections once and for all, be an easy way out. “We’ll have to try though... I’ll bring it up before his next rut definitely..”

“Good idea, Hyung. Really... you have no idea how horrible it is to have a rut or heat without anyone to help you... if I had the opportunity Yunho did before I found help I would have taken it in a heartbeat.”

The night sky is pretty from the window Seonghwa and Wooyoung are seated next to, lots of stars. Seonghwa briefly wonders if he might ask Yunho to go stargazing with him at some point this week while the sky is so clear. A few moments later a waitress comes to take their order.

Seonghwa is in the single-stall restaurant bathroom when he gets a phone call from... Yeosang. Funny, maybe they still thought him and Wooyoung were coming over for study party? Seonghwa ignores it, grabbing his jacket from the hanger and exiting the stall. He’s fixing his hair and dabbing on a bit of lipgloss when he gets another incoming call from the fox hybrid, to which he answers.

“Yeosang? What’s happening...”

_”Uhhh....”_ The fox hybrid’s voice sounds nervous through the phone. _“Seonghwa, I didn’t really know who else to call because... I know you’re close to Yunho and all and- wait, you were there when he first had his rut last, right?”_

Seonghwa’s tail puffs up in fear. Why was Yeosang asking about Yunho’s rut? Has the pup told him something about their arrangement? “Yeah... what does that have to do with-“

_“Well, I’m pretty sure he’s in a rut- yeah actually I’m positive he is in a rut right now, and I was... it’s getting kind of concerning and I didn’t know who else to call for help. Fuck- Seonghwa, he’s scratching at the door now too...”_

Seonghwa begins to feel the panic rising in his body, rushing over him like a foamy wave, eyes widening. “What? His last one wasn’t too long ago... He shouldn’t be having his rut for another few weeks!” Seonghwa holds his phone closer to his head, ducking out of the bathrooms to seat himself on the small bench right outside the stall. 

_”Okay urgencies now, logistics later. He’s freaking out, that’s my point.”_ Yeosang pauses, probably looking away from the phone to check on something. _“He keeps on... Seonghwa, he keeps on whining about needing ‘his omega’”_ Yeosang’s deep voice sounds on edge for once. Seonghwa freezes, tail spiking at this point. Shit, fuck. Shit.

_“Did you even know he_ had _someone to help with his ruts? You think he’s mated to them?”_ Yeosang asks him confusedly. Seonghwa gets up from the bench. Yunho was... Yunho was in trouble, and from what it sounds like, he needs Seonghwa there to do... anything but help him in that way. Maybe mediate him somehow? He could do that... he could do that without Yeosang getting suspicious.

“I’m coming over now.” Seonghwa says, hanging the phone up before Yeosang could say anything back. He marches towards his and Wooyoung’s table, gripping his phone tensly.

“Wooyoung...” 

“Hyung?” The smaller boy’s face perks up when Seonghwa approaches, face stuffed in a breadstick. “This shit... this is the shit right here, with the garlic stuffing?” Wooyoung does a chef’s kiss. “Masterful.”

“Okay that’s awesome Woo, but I need to...” Seonghwa is gathering his shopping bags by the pup’s feet frantically, tail puffed up in nervousness. He forgets to finish his sentence as he tries calculating the time it’ll take for him to get back to campus by cab, since Wooyoung will need his car... and he has to call his parents and tell them he can’t come to their breakfast party tomorrow since he’ll probably be with Yunho for most of the night... Fuck, this definitely wasn’t right time for this to happen....

“Hyung, whats going on?” Wooyoung asks, voice concerned.

Seonghwa shakes his head in frustration, putting his phone in his pocket. “It’s Yunho... he’s at Yeosang’s and he’s knee-deep in his pre-rut tendencies right now and I need to go and mediate. Like now.”

“O- okay? Wasn’t his rut recent? Why-“

“I don’t know. I have no fucking clue and it’s kind of freaking me out...” Seonghwa is truthful. It was a long way off from Yunho’s next rut cycle and going through it early... the cat hybrid is concerned there might be something wrong with his best friend... fuck... had it been him who caused it? Had he inflicted some kind of make-up rut onto him since the last one had been so.... emotionally tolling. “I need to go now.”

“Hyung but be...” Wooyoung managed to grab Seonghwa’s sleeve before he took off. “I mean it... you need to be careful. Like I said, alphas in ruts are kind of unpredictable, even if he’s our friend. And I don’t know what might happen if it’s so sudden like this.”

Seonghwa could feel his emotions welling up in the form of some kind of outburst, wanting to protest that his best friend wouldn’t do anything of the sort, that he was _different_ , he couldn’t hurt Seonghwa if he tried. That he was gentle, helpless... _innocent_ in all of this. But that would imply Seonghwa had been near enough to properly interact him during his rut. That would bring up questions, and Seonghwa had enough on his mind right now to have to deal with more problems.

“I- I have to go... I’ll pay you back for dinner tomorrow. I promise, Woo.” And with that, Seonghwa is beelining it towards the restaurant entrance, hearing the ding of the door and the faint sounds of Wooyoung protesting behind him.

Seonghwa breaths in and out, clutching his bags close to him and looking from right to left down the road vigilantly. 

Once he got inside the cab and had some time to relax somewhat, a moment to himself, that’s when Seonghwa began to try and debate his morals with himself in his head. 

Seonghwa was still... quite intent on not helping him. In that way specifically, but if he somehow managed to find a way to use his scent to calm the pup, it was the least he could do after the disaster that happened last time, even if Yunho didn’t remember one bit of it. He also knew he’d have to tell the pup about that eventually, it didn’t mean he was looking foreword to the day.

He remembers the pup’s peaches and cream scent that still lingered on his collarbones, getting stronger from time to time when Seonghwa was sleeping. It had always been so sweet and soft on his nose, making the air around him pleasant and calming. He was... what the fuck was Seonghwa doing... 

Just as the cat hybrid exits the cab, he remembers that felines weren’t allowed inside the canine dorms, much less the wild canine dorms. He would have to be sneaky if he wanted to get to Yunho before... before the pup had another panic attack or worse. 

While the cat hybrid was trying to come up with an explanation in his head how he could somehow convince the desk guy to let him past, Seonghwa notices while pacing that the fire escape down the side of the building is down. That could do the trick, he figures.

Yeosang’s face when he sees Seonghwa tapping his fist at the glass window looking from the fire escape into the common room is one of confusion and bewilderment. Seonghwa thinks it’s pretty appropriate considering the current events... “What the fuck?!” Yeosang exclaims quietly as he opens the window for Seonghwa to slip in, brushing off his clothes when he lands on the ground. 

“I... I came as soon as I could.” Seonghwa smiles at how comedic this situation might look to anyone else having a normal everyday Saturday night. He wishes that lighthearted laugh could continue.

“It’s... it’s been a long night, let me just say.” Yeosang laughs a bit at the end of his sentence as well. The fox hybrid is dressed in pajamas still, laptop set up on the commune coffee table a few feet away.

Seonghwa directs his ears foreword. He needed to focus if he was going to stay sane throughout this. “Where’s Yunho?”

Yeosang grimaces, gesturing with his head for Seonghwa to follow him down the hall to one of the dorm rooms, presumably him and Mingi’s. Even from outside the door, Seonghwa can sense Yunho’s struggle through the walls, hearing seeming to be on hyperdrive as he can almost fully sense the pup’s pained whines as he whimpers over and over again, begging... suffering all alone. Seonghwa can’t help the heartache, the splitting feeling that makes him want nothing more than to give Yunho everything he needs... but it’s outweighed by the guilt. 

The guilt that told him... Seonghwa was the reason he was suffering in the first place.

He probably... if he’s learned anything about Yunho in his rut, the pup probably thinks his omega, the omega that saved him, that he’s enamored with, has abandoned him, left him all alone to suffer with his rut. Yunho’s alpha will probably blame Seonghwa’s absence on himself, start to self destruct and shut down just like he had last time. Fuck, he was so devastated just from smelling Hongjoong’s scent on the older boy.

“Can you try talking to him through the door? He won’t listen to me.” Yeosang suggested. Seonghwa ignored him though, knowing that won’t be nearly enough. Yunho will think his omega is too scared to be near him.

“I need to go in there.” Seonghwa says firmly.

Yeosang narrows his eyes. “Seonghwa... I don’t know if you’ve ever seen.... like, actually _seen_ an alpha in a rut but.... it’s not pretty, no matter how much you care about them...” He breaks off, but Seonghwa gets the essence of what he was saying. The fox hybrid’s voice almost seemed to be pained himself, like he was speaking from personal experience. Seonghwa didn’t care to try and ponder that thought at the moment.

“If you’re implying that he’ll hurt me... I’ve seen him in rut, Yeosang. I can handle myself.” Seonghwa’s voice is cold, slightly irritated that the fox hybrid would imply Yunho would harm him, irritated that so many people at this point were convinced of that. The pup was scared enough of himself as it is, and the idea being expressed by others was just furthering the stereotype.

“Seonghwa...” Yeosang puts a hand on the taller boy’s shoulder, looking him dead in the eyes, voice serious. “I just... I don’t want you to get hurt. He’s been calling out for this... this mystery omega the entire time.” The fox hybrid sighs. “I don’t know how good you are emotionally with the whole Yunho thing right now. He might reject you for real this time, and that’s...”

Seonghwa bites back to urge to just... to tell Yeosang everything. He can’t. He can’t no matter how much he wants to.. he can’t reveal his selfishness and how it’s gotten the two of them to this place. He just needs to help... he needs to help his best friend, he needs to help his sweet pup. Right now. Seonghwa doesn’t respond back to Yeosang, just tries giving him a reassuring look. One that might cover up the mess of emotions going on inside of him right now.

“I’ll stay out of your guys’ hair. You’ll find me in the common room.” Yeosang points his thumb back down the hall. Seonghwa nods hesitantly at him, slowly turning the knob of the door, waiting for the fox hybrid to walk out of sight.

The room is dim, only the warm orange light of a lamp in the corner, and a discarded laptop along with a mess of papers on the ground. Yunho’s shrouded form is shaking subtly, concealed by the covers of one of two beds. There’s an unmistakeable smell of peaches and cream soaked into every inch of the room, the air, the walls, the fabric... Seonghwa prays for Yeosang’s febreezing skills after this is all over. 

Seonghwa sets the three plastic bags he’s been carrying onto the floor and carefully approaches Yunho, who isn’t moving a muscle now. Yunho knows he’s there, the pup can sense him, otherwise he wouldn’t be so stiff now that the older boy was approaching him. But he doesn’t seem to want to move.

“Puppy...” Seonghwa surprises himself when the pet name leaves his lips... he briefly remembered calling Yunho ‘puppy’ during his last rut... he figures it must have been to try and comfort him, to calm him down. Yunho seems to be triggered by that, whole body trembling under the covers from sobbing as he broke down finally. Fuck... Yunho had probably been crying the whole time Seonghwa wasn’t there...

“Puppy, Yunho... I’m here. I’m right here...” Yunho turns around slightly, now on his back. He glances back at the older boy before darting his gaze back, scared to make eye contact. Seonghwa walks foreword until he’s sitting next to the bed. He’s is hesitant to touch Yunho for fear of making him needier... he doesn’t want a situation where the pup was so clingy Seonghwa couldn’t say no to him if he tried. But that’s not what happens at all, not at all.

Yunho doesn’t try to jump him, doesn’t try to kiss him, or even hug him. The only thing the pup does is reach out ever so carefully, hand flinching back once of twice along the way, and take the cat hybrid’s smaller palm up in his, fingers curling around the top of Seonghwa’s hand, still shaky. It’s the same hand that has the baby blue ribbon still tied into a familiar little bow wrapped around it, matching with Seonghwa’s, the two shiny bracelets right next to each other. 

Rut-Yunho seems to notice the bracelets too, moving a finger to gently curl the tip of it around the ribbon and tug so slightly, a silent but strong plea for Seonghwa to stay, just once, just one touch... Seonghwa can hear Yunho’s pained voice in his ears, whining as Seonghwa gave him his attention. The pup’s eyes are large and watery, ears drooping, silky golden hair all messed up on his forehead. 

“You need me...” Seonghwa whispers, coming to terms with the fact himself for the first time. Yunho, however, seems less than happy to hear those words.

“You don’t... you don’t need to do that...” Yunho breathes out weakly, eyes not once leaving the cat hybrid. “Just hand... just your hand is enough...”

Someone else might say Yunho looks pathetic, Seonghwa thinks he’s so handsome even now. He doesn’t... he doesn’t want to think about what might have happened if he hadn’t come, if he hadn’t been sensible. Yunho was scared... too scared to ask for anything more than this. Just his hand, that was enough. He probably thought that Seonghwa didn’t want him, was taking pity on him. Yunho probably thought his omega didn’t want him. His mind flashes to Yunho a week ago, pleading with him, asking again and again why Seonghwa had... had gone to ‘another alpha’.

Seonghwa had been telling the truth when he said he’d stop seeing Hongjoong. After Yunho’s last rut, being intimate with someone else just seemed... wrong for some reason, when it never had before. Seonghwa hadn’t told Hongjoong yet... he had wondered when he might get his gusto back and feel comfortable being with another partner. Probably not soon. Definitely not now. He was going back on his promise to himself.

Why shouldn’t he continue to help Yunho? There was a long long list of reasons, all of them legitimate and real. And yet, the one reason why he should, why he should stay, indulge the whimpering pup, relieve him... Yunho’s eyes seemed to tell him he couldn’t be satisfied by anyone else, and Seonghwa, despite his best efforts to suppress it, basked in knowing that fact. And he wanted to make Yunho feel like the most loved and wanted person in the world, even if just for his rut-self.

He had gotten the both of them into this mess, why not try and make the best of it? They could deal with getting rid of it later...

“I’ll help you, pup.” Seonghwa murmured gently, other hand brushing Yunho’s hair out of his face. The dog hybrid looks up at him weakly, muscles around his neck tense.

“You... you don’t have to. I don’t want to-“ Yunho’s eyes tear up and he has to blink them away, Seonghwa reaches foreword to dab one from his cheeks. “Don’t wanna hurt you again...”

Seonghwa wonders if Yunho remembers the incident of his last rut, if that’s what the pup is referring to. Maybe he only remembered the feeling, or the emotions from Seonghwa that night. Or maybe Yunho had been faking his memory loss the whole time to try and repair their friendship as a result. Who knows, it didn’t matter all that much right now. 

Because Yunho’s eyes are so big and shiny, reflecting Seonghwa’s scared face back at him, and it hurts. It hurts to se him like this, it’s always hurt to see him like this.

Seonghwa discards his cardigan and shirt on the dresser and slips out of his pants as well, leaving himself in just his boxers. He briefly checks his... backside to test the waters. Wasn’t feeling up to par with the current situation, a bit of soreness lingering there, but Seonghwa just wants... at this point he’s content with just taking it. He was beginning to feel parched just looking at Yunho.

But what happens next... 

Seonghwa returns to Yunho, who immediately takes up the older boy’s hand in his, linking them back up, little ribbons glinting slightly in the warm light.

Yunho doesn’t try to pull off Seonghwa’s underwear, doesn’t try to give him a blowjob or eat him out or anything of the sort. All he does is pull Seonghwa underneath him, gentle as he always is, hands so tender on Seonghwa’s skin, running over his sides softly, like he’s made of glass... or porcelain. The dog hybrid pulls Seonghwa under him and collapses. Not completely on top of the cat hybrid but next to him, half on top of him.

Yunho’s face is pressed against Seonghwa’s bare chest, humming contentedly, not letting go of his hand once, letting his eyes close. Seonghwa hadn’t even noticed beforehand that Yunho wasn’t hard at all, no familiar bulge poking at his leg, but he was still sweating and acting desperate as if he was going through a rut... why was that?

“Don’t need that...” The pup insists once more. “Just this... just you. All I need is you, Hyung.”

And that... those words, uttered so softly from Yunho’s mouth, tinged with so much... adoration, affection... it broke him. And Seonghwa is crying now. Silently, yes, but crying all the same, holding Yunho’s body pressed against his, feeling the skin-to-skin contact there... Seonghwa doesn’t even notice that Yunho hadn’t called him ‘omega’, but ‘Hyung’ instead.

“I’ll be yours...” Seonghwa says in response, voice shaky. “I’ll always be yours...” He tries wiping away the tears on his face but to no avail. He figures Yunho would lick every one of them away if he had more energy... the golden-haired boy seemed like he was half asleep already by now. Seonghwa meant every word he said, even if Yunho wasn’t awake enough to hear him say them.

And suddenly, there’s a creak coming from the door, and Seonghwa freezes. 

Yeosang is in the doorway with a box of tissues in his hand, eyebrows furrowed, expression one of confusion, maybe anger? Oh no. Oh fuck no, fuck no, Seonghwa couldn’t deal with this on top of everything else and Yunho was getting needier by the second. He couldn’t explain everything to the fox hybrid now of all times! Not when Yunho needed him immediately, needed his attention irreplaceably...

“Yeosang...” Seonghwa utters out, staring wide-eyed into the fox hybrid’s eyes. He was... he was fucked... they were both so utterly fucked, or at least that’s what he thought in this moment.

Something seems to pass between the two boys staring intently back at each other, a mutual sort of... silence, an agreement. And Yeosang is nodding back at Seonghwa slowly, setting the box of tissues down next to the cat hybrid’s bags and retreats from the room, closing the door with a small click behind him. 

Yeosang returns a few minutes later, small thudding footsteps and the swishing back and forth of the fox hybrid’s tail disturbing the atmosphere. Yunho’s ear twitches from where he lays on Seonghwa’s chest.

“Smells like peach cobbler in here...” Yeosang remarks, indicating as well that he couldn’t smell Seonghwa’s rose scent that Yunho claimed he did indeed have. 

Yunho is immediately alerted once Yeosang talks, back and shoulders raised and he moves up off of Seonghwa’s chest, forming a cage around the smaller boy and growling in response to the fox hybrid’s presence. Seems like he’s back in alpha mode now...

Yeosang backs up, putting his hands out both in defense and to attempt to calm the defensive alpha down.

“Yunho, baby ssh... ssh its alright, I’m safe, pup, I’m safe.” Seonghwa brings his hands up to Yunho’s face and turns them to look towards him, away from Yeosang.

Yunho just noses at his wrist in response, taking the cat hybrid’s smaller arms up in his hand and pressing his forehead against the little ribbon there. “Omega...” He murmurs. Well there goes that. Yeosang was there, he was right next to them and he had definitely just witnessed Yunho calling Seonghwa his omega. Seonghwa felt as if he had nothing to hide anymore, might as well let it be out in the open.

The cat hybrid can hear Yeosang snort with laughter across the room, grabbing a few things from his drawer and then exiting. Little fucker... even so Seonghwa is... somewhat grateful the fox hybrid seems to be taking this so lightheartedly. They sure needed some of that right now.

Yunho yawns wide so cutely, breathing easing up again now that Yeosang is out of the room. The pup’s tongue is left sticking out the slightest bit when he settles back down on Seonghwa’s chest, cheek pressed right between his pecs so perfectly, ears drooping down in tiredness. “Sleeping time...” The golden-haired boy murmurs softly, and Seonghwa can’t help but giggle.

He could... he could worry about Yeosang later. Right now, the most important thing, the most important _person_ in the world to him was okay. He was once happy, he was safe. Right here in Seonghwa’s arms, even if the circumstances had been brought on questionably, even if Seonghwa still feels like a selfish manipulator... what was he saying again?

Yunho’s cheeks are so puffy when he sleeps, lips pouting, eyelashes fanned out against his skin and it looked so lovely. Seonghwa thinks it could make him forget everything else in the world, he’s reminded again and again every time he blinks and lands his vision back on the dozing boy why he... why he fell for him. Why he still managed to fall hard for him every day.

The cat hybrid’s heart ached as he fell asleep, hands gently placed across Yunho’s back... but it’s a good ache this time, pleasant and most importantly... a reminder. A reminder that his feelings for Yunho are real, raw. They’re there, maybe not going away any time soon, probably not. It’s sad, but it’s comforting, knowing that one thing about himself, that it’s true, it’s real. Seonghwa just wishes he could say the same about the pup, so peacefully slumbering half on-top of him. If only they lived in a perfect world...

..

...

..

_Beep_

_Beep_

_Beep_

Seonghwa blinks blearily and the first thing he registers is the loud, screeching beeping sound coming from the nightstand, disturbing his sleep. Fuck.... fuck Seonghwa couldn’t... why did Yeosang have to be such a little demon?

“Fucking Yeosang and his alarm clock...” Seonghwa mumbles to himself before reaching over blindly until he finally clicked to snooze button. Right.

The second thing he registers is Yunho, sleeping so soundly right next to him, all cradled up and holding tightly onto the cat hybrid’s tail, pressing it up to his cheek in his sleep. The dog hybrid hasn’t stirred, just a small twitch of the ear. He must be still recovering from the surprise rut.

Oh yeah... Seonghwa should take him to get that checked out.

First thing’s first though, the cat hybrid needed to pee. Urgently, actually.

Yunho lets out a whine when Seonghwa untangles his tail from the pup’s grip, grabbing onto the rumpled sheets in front of him to make up for the lack of the fluffy comfort. Seonghwa purrs, leaning down to kiss Yunho gently on the cheek, the pup shifting a bit in his sleep. 

But just as Seonghwa tries to navigate himself to the bathrooms, a familiar face greets him in the middle of the common room.

Yeosang is standing there wearing a long fluffy pink bathrobe with his hair drawn up into a clip, leaning against the entrance to the kitchen with the most deadpan yet still somehow amused look on his face. He takes a long sip of his coffee.

“So you’re Yunho’s omega, hm?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prom night is coming and with it we are getting closer and closer to the peak of this fic... i hope you’re all excited as i am!!
> 
> thank you all for reading! <3


	14. Checkpoint

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the fourteenth chapter!! a filler-ish but providing a lot of explanation as well  
> the calm before the storm is reaching its final limits...
> 
> hope you all like it! <3

“So you’re Yunho’s omega, hm?”

Seonghwa blushes, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. Guess they were having _this_ conversation sooner than he thought. “It’s... it’s a complicated situation.” 

“And I’ve got _all_ morning, sweetie.” Yeosang takes another even longer sip of his coffee and gestures with his head towards the main part of the common room, lit up by the early sun beaming through the windows. Seonghwa trails along after the smaller boy, clutching the ends of the oversized t-shirt he managed to snag before leaving the dorm room. 

There must not be anyone in the dorms right now, or Yeosang would probably be more cautious about taking Seonghwa, a feline, out in broad daylight in a canine dorm building. 

The two of them settle across from each other on two separate couches, Yeosang raising an eyebrow at the older boy who just shifts his feet from side to side awkwardly. There’s a long silence between them as Yeosang seems to give Seonghwa time to sort through his thoughts.

“Is Yunho still asleep?”

“Yeah...” Seonghwa can’t help smiling to himself. “He’s... he wouldn’t let go of my tail...” The cat hybrid catches himself, blinking awkwardly before resuming his serious demeanor.

“Oh my fucking... you are so whipped, huh.” Yeosang says, more of a statement than a question. “I was wondering why Yunho didn’t at least offhand-mention how bad his ruts were. Honestly, I’m proud.... really wasn’t expecting you to just swoop in and take your man like that but... here we are.” The smaller boy laughs a bit.

“I... I guess, yeah...” Seonghwa grimaces. Yeosang probably thinks that Seonghwa must have confessed to Yunho finally and that the pup had returned his feelings, that they’d been hiding a secret relationship or something from the rest of their friends. If only, Seonghwa thinks. If only that were the case... things would be so much more simple right now. “We’re not together.”

Yeosang’s face changes in interest, resting his head on his hand. “Tell me more?”

Seonghwa continues to shift from side to side, glancing around the room warily. “We’re fuckbuddies. Well... rutbuddies is actually the name we came up with.” Seonghwa just sits with that, gaging the fox hybrid’s reaction.

“So you mean to tell me...” Yeosang started. “That you and Yunho have been fucking around together for about a month now, you’re cuddling with each other naked, you’ve come up with a cute fuckbuddy pet-name and you’re _still_ not dating?” Yeosang scoffs. “Unbelievable.”

“It’s not... Yeosang...” Seonghwa can feel some of the tears coming in just thinking about it. “This just... this whole mess just showed me that- that he doesn’t like me in that way. It’s his alpha that likes me as his ‘omega’. It’s not me, but what I offer.” Seonghwa blinked away his tears. He had come to terms with that fact awhile ago... why did it still make him so choked up?

Yeosang’s expression drops at that, ears dropping down. “I’m-“ The fox hybrid mutters. “I’m sorry about that... it must be pretty hard, huh?”

Seonghwa shakes his head, smiling sadly. “I’m used to it.”

“Still...” Yeosang chuckles. “It’s kind of funny to imagine...”

“What?” Seonghwa’s ears perk up.

“You just offering yourself up like... _alpha oh, alpha, please, I need your knot, please_. And then the morning after Yunho just thinks to himself ‘yes, this is what friends do’.” Yeosang does a high-pitched mocking voice when pretending to be Seonghwa and rolls his eyes back in his head for effect, breaking out into laughter at the end.

Seonghwa snorts, covering his face with a hand. “Thanks for that imitation of me, I really appreciate it.”

“No problem. I mean, Woo isn’t here to lighten the mood, might as well let my painfully realistic mindset loose for awhile.” 

“Please be realistic again, I need some... solidity in my life right now...” Seonghwa trails off, closing his eyes. He wouldn’t admit it out loud but... finally telling someone about the secret, wether it had been intentional or not, felt freeing, like a weight had been lifted somewhat off his shoulders. He was glad Yeosang had been to the one here and not Mingi because that would have left a whole load of explaining on both him and Yunho to do. And he was tired.

Seonghwa checks his phone to see Wooyoung had sent him a text asking if everything was okay. He laughs. Oh, if only the younger boy knew...

“If it makes you feel any better... I’m pretty much on the exact same page as you are, Seonghwa...” Yeosang laughs to himself sadly, shaking his head. “I would be a fucking hypocrite to judge you.”

Seonghwa’s tail flicked nervously in interest. “What... what do you mean?”

Yeosang’s ears folded back a bit, like he wasn’t expecting the cat hybrid to ask him what he meant. The fox hybrid looks wistfully down at the ground, rubbing at his shoulder slightly and crossing one leg over another, like he’s getting ready to tell a long story.

“My best friend... Jongho.... it was just...” Yeosang pauses, eyebrows furrowing in thought. Seonghwa can kind of tell what he’s about to say but he doesn’t voice it out loud for the fox hybrid, just waits while Yeosang finds his words.

Yeosang doesn’t meet Seonghwa’s gaze. “He presented as an alpha like about a week ago and...” Yeosang stops mid-sentence, voice weak. He looks tired now, and very much upset.

“Yeo... it’s okay, right? You can trust me.” Seonghwa purred to his friend. Yeosang looks back up at him, face seemingly still indifferent but the older boy can sense the change in confidence surrounding the fox hybrid. Yeosang’s face might be hard to read but when his mood changes so does the air around him.

“I....” Yeosang grits his teeth. “I _may_ have helped him. And now his parents want to run the ‘fox bastard that tainted their poor little baby’ out of town like a fucking witch-hunt.” Yeosang said matter-of-factly. “It was entirely consensual on both parts, might I add. Like if anything _he_ was the one begging to fuck me but of course they’ve got to find some way to demonize me. Again.” Yeosang rants.

Seonghwa’s taken aback slightly by the fox hybrid’s sudden outburst, eyes widened and tail slightly puffed. Yeosang blinks. “Something wrong? I’m sorry, Seonghwa I didn’t mean-“

“No, no nothing is wrong, Yeosang. I just...” The cat hybrid pauses. “It’s just... Is that the only reason you’re upset?” He asks cautiously, noticing that his friend seemed to be in a rare worked-up state. Who would’ve known Kang Yeosang could get worked up over... anything, really.

“He’s a fucking coward... and it’s like, I _know_ his parents are crazy and he knows that too and he’s told me that he doesn’t listen to a word they say about me, but he _still_ never...” Yeosang lays back down on the couch, ears fuming. “He hasn’t tried to stand up for me once, just sits there while his parents harp on about me being some whore and-“ Yeosang leans down, covering his face with his hands. 

“I’m... I’m so sorry, Yeosang.” Seonghwa purrs at the smaller boy, trying to calm him down. It works just a bit, the fox hybrid recovering slightly after a minute.

“It’s okay, Seonghwa. It’s just been... shitty. The last couple of days. Confusing as hell. One moment you’re best buddies and then the next you’ve fucked shit over, right? A lot more confusing when you’re the one involved.” Yeosang reflects, laughing sadly.

The cat hybrid could relate. He could definitely, one-hundred percent relate.

“Yeah...” Seonghwa smiles. “Good to know you’re just as fucked as I am.” He tries to lighten the mood. 

Yeosang smiles back at him, cozying up into his fluffy robe and leaning back against the couch leg. “Tell me about it... Honestly, alphas are confusing as fuck.”

“And needy.” Seonghwa adds. Yeosang just laughs more at that though.

“Speak for yourself. After I fucked around with Jongho he couldn’t look at me for two hours straight. From what I saw, Yunho is acting like you guys are mates or some shit...”

Seonghwa smiles. “He’s just clingy like that. It’s cute...”

Yeosang raises his eyebrows. “See, that’s why you’re more fucked than I am.”

Seonghwa sighs, leaning back in the couch. “What the hell are we gonna do now...”

“What the hell are we gonna do now.” Yeosang echoes after a second, reclining across the couch with his feet crossed. Seonghwa notices the deep dark circles under his friend’s eyes. He figures he must have some to match.

_______

“You need to get checked out.”

Yunho shakes his head to get the strands of hair out of his eyes, clearing his still-blurry vision and getting the cogs to start turning in his fuzzy brain. He wishes Seonghwa would just let him sleep. And join him. And then they could cuddle all day. “What? By like... a doctor?”

“Yes, by a doctor! Yunho, didn’t you just go through a mini rut thing?” Mini-rut... fuck. Yunho didn’t want to think about all that shit... he just wanted to curl up in bed with Seonghwa and forget time exists.

Yunho ignores Seonghwa’s protests and wraps his arms around the cat hybrid’s middle, pressing his cheek into his pecs.“Cuddle now. Doctor later.” The pup mumbles stubbornly, tightening his hold on his best friend who stops struggling. Yunho hums contentedly as Seonghwa sighs into the taller pup, placing an arm around him in return.

“You’re lucky you’re cute...” Seonghwa murmurs, purring vibrations calming Yunho down further.

The golden-haired pup sighs in satisfaction and buries his head into his best friends chest, trying to cuddle up into him and ending up half in the cat hybrid’s lap. It’d be a nice position if Yunho wasn’t so big compared to the older boy. It still works, somehow and Seonghwa purrs with delight at the attempts Yunho is making to fit in his arms.

They stay like that until Yeosang starts banging on the door saying he ‘needs my fucking dorm room back’ and to ‘stop sexiling me you don’t even live here’. Oh yeah. Yunho had forgotten he was at Yeosang and Mingi’s place, not some... love hotel or something. Why had his brain gone to that first? That explained the bowl of cheese puffs in the corner definitely. And the laptops. And the lint smell. Yunho was tired.

“Get up off of me now, pup.” Seonghwa grunts, trying to lift Yunho’s slumbering body.

“Just one more minute cuddle time...” Yunho blinks back, admiring Seonghwa’s form above him.

Seonghwa’s little pointy ears look so silky, his eyes are so warm with the soft love of a nurturing parent, gazing over Yunho like he was the littlest most precious thing in the world. He sure feels that way right now.

Yunho thinks briefly in what feels like a post-rut haze that if he were a bit more idiotic, he might prop himself up on his elbows and kiss Seonghwa right on the cheek, or the lips. Whichever one he managed to reach first would do. But he doesn’t, because he figures he isn’t that much of an idiot.

He won’t give in to his alpha urging him to do those things, no matter how tempting they may seem.

Seonghwa walks with Yunho to the doctors office, and halfway there the older boy moves to slot his hand with Yunho’s, fingers lacing together. Yunho thought they must have gotten at least one weird look before separating their hands as they entered the doctors office. It’s best not to cause a scene, he figured.

The doctors office is cold and sterile, even in the waiting room. Yunho spends most of the time staring at the fish tank absentmindedly, watching gameplay videos on his phone, and whining inwardly to himself because he really _really_ wants to nudge Seonghwa’s hand for head pats right now. They’re in a close-quarters public space where Yunho is about to get a checkup so he decides against the idea but it still doesn’t repress the need for the black cat hybrid’s attention.

“I can hear you whining in your head..” Seonghwa whispers to him.

“Is it that obvious?” Yunho grinned.

“I can give you head pats once you get out, pup.” Seonghwa purrs.

“Is it cause I’ll have been a good boy?” Yunho laughs back jokingly. Seonghwa gives him a funny look and shrugs it off.

When Yunho is finally called into the back for his checkup, Seonghwa squeezes his hand before he goes, reassuring the dog hybrid that he’d be there afterwards. Yunho relies on that comfort. He hasn’t been to the doctors office in forever and his first encounter having to be an unavoidable lecture about ruts isn’t the most nurturing idea in the world.

Yunho lays back on the bed while Doctor Kim, a stoat dog hybrid with white pointy ears, takes his blood pressure. Yunho decides on staying dead still the whole time, afraid he’d screw up something if he even breathed wrong. 

“Now then...” The guy sits perched on a swivel chair across from Yunho, taking the clipboard from the table and clicking the end of his pen. “Tell me whats been happening with you... your form said you’ve been experiencing rut troubles?”

Yunho taps his fingers against the checkup bed, taking a deep breath. He didn’t know why exactly, his and Seonghwa’s secret was safe as ever and he was sure Yeosang could keep it personal... but he’s always nervous when talking about his ruts to other people. It’s makes him feel like he might slip up and expose a fact that reveals too much. “I had... I had this strange night. I started having this feeling in my... in my stomach like I was going into a rut.”

“And when was your last rut?” The doctor questioned.

“Um.. two weeks ago? About that time... I shouldn’t be having another one for awhile.” Yunho reports.

“I see... please continue.”

Yunho always got tense when doctors would start scratching down points on their clipboards like they were analyzing his every move, but he tried to ignore those feelings of being observed. “It felt like... like I was going into a rut and it just kept rising up, and then I was pretty sure I was in a rut but... it wasn’t the same.”

“Could you elaborate on that?” 

“I guess...” Yunho can feel his ears turning red. He wished Seonghwa was here for moral support or something. “It kind of embarrassing..”

“No judgement, my boy. We just want to figure out what’s going on with you.” The doctor said in a monotone, non-comforting voice.

Yunho nodded hesitantly. “It was like I was going to get... riled up in- in that way... but I never did. It was frustrating...” Yunho conveniently left out the fact that all he could think about at the time was Seonghwa.... it had been ridiculous really, and he probably would have laughed at himself if he hadn’t been so fixated on the older boy at the time. He remembers feeling as if Seonghwa had.... had abandoned him. And he knew that it was all just alpha fixation and rut stuff looking back on it, but... it didn’t change the fact that it had felt like hell.

“I see...” Doctor Kim writes down a bit more on his clipboard before pausing and looking back up at the patiently waiting pup. “Mr Jeong, have you ever heard of an ‘emotional rut’ before?”

An emotional rut? Yunho shook his head. “No... no, I haven’t.”

“It’s brought on usually when alphas or sometimes betas with ruts are heavily deprived of their emotional security during their last rut. The mental safety of an alpha is just as important as relieving sexual needs during a rut, you see... though it varies from person to person.” The doctor puts his clipboard down. “It happens most often to alphas that have a high amount of emotional hormones after presenting.”

“And... you think that’s what happened to me?” Yunho points a finger at himself.

“It’s most probable. Though if you don’t mind me asking have you had any partners to help you with ruts since you first presented? I know it said on your records you had just presented a month and a half ago...”

Shit. Yunho weighed his options at light speed in his mind. “I, uh....” Yunho stammers. “I- I have... it’s been a regular thing.” That’s all he says. Hopefully the doctor won’t try and prod more.

But Doctor Kim just nods. “Yes, that’s good... you ideally should be in good health. Enough that an emotional rut shouldn’t happen... unless of course, there strain between you and your partner.” 

Yunho stiffens up. What? That didn’t make any sense... Doctor Kim must be mistaken.

“Talk about whatever is going on with your partner, sort out your differences, find what went wrong and your rut cycle should go back to normal pretty easily.”

Yunho nodded, still confused as to what ‘emotional strain’ meant exactly. Him and Seonghwa had been on perfect terms, well, as perfect as you could be when you were fucking your best friend on the regular. At least... it was okay from his point of view. Had something happened with Seonghwa that caused some type of conflict or hurt between them? Why wouldn’t he have told Yunho about it? They had said before they were going to communicate more with each other since... since a year ago with the incident. 

“You’ll be free to go in a few minutes...” Doctor Kim looks down at his watch.

“Right....” Yunho stares at the wall, trying to process his thoughts. “You’re sure that I had this... this emotional rut thing?”

“Pretty positive. I’m just surprised no one in your early sex ed classes taught you about things like that... they should do more lectures on these subjects if they want kids to grow up happy and healthy..” The dog hybrid remarks, pointy ear flicking with annoyance.

Yunho nodded at him. Emotional rut... maybe he should talk to Seonghwa about that soon? Or maybe he shouldn’t bring it up at all... he was conflicted.

After another minute of jotting down notes, Doctor Kim patted Yunho on the shoulders and stood up. “You’re free to go, check out at the front, boy, and please do some more research on how to deal with your alpha hormones when you get home? Actually, encourage your friends to do it too... no harm in learning a thing or two about yourselves right?” The guy laughed a bit like it was supposed to be taken as a joke. Yunho laughed back nervously.

Maybe Seonghwa was... was it possible to older boy was hiding something from him? Would he do that even after the events of last year? Yunho didn’t know anymore...

_______

Once Yunho checked out of the doctors office and walked into the waiting room, Seonghwa was there, scrolling away on his phone. The cat hybrid looks back up at Yunho when he approaches. “They figure it out?”

“Y- yeah...” The pup doesn’t continue, just exits the office with Seonghwa, heading down the road back towards his neighborhood. 

Seonghwa tilts his head, looking at Yunho pointedly. “Well? You gonna tell me what’s up?” The cat hybrid swishes his tail back and forth in curiosity. 

“It’s... it’s kind embarrassing. “Yunho admits rubbing his neck. “Hyung have you ever heard of an emotional rut?” The pup asks hesitantly, looking at Seonghwa worriedly. 

Seonghwa shakes his head. “I mean, if you didn’t know what it was I sure as hell am not going to...” 

“The doctor said it’s because I must have had a lot of emotional strain during my last rut. Or something like that...” The dog hybrid looks at Seonghwa, as if trying to gauge his reaction. 

“That’s... I mean...” Seonghwa trailed off, feeling caught off-guard. Yunho just sighs as they reach his house, stopping to sit outside on the bench and inviting Seonghwa to sit with him. Seonghwa does, feeling on edge now that Yunho’s suggested the idea of him having... emotional strain. It’s been a long day... even though he woke up at noon and only went to the doctors office. And right now he really, _really_ didn’t want to deal with for a second the idea of Yunho... finding out he had basically fake-confessed fo Seonghwa and that it had fucked him up. Badly

They arrive at Yunho’s house and make themselves comfortable on the porch swing. “What happened that night I blacked out?” Yunho spoke his mind. It was a simple question, actually Seonghwa is surprised Yunho hadn’t asked sooner.

The cat hybrid swallowed, throat going dry, mind stalling on how to respond. The truth. Seonghwa thinks Yunho deserves the truth especially at a time like this, when life is much more confusing for him and his new rut troubles than it must be for Seonghwa to be dealing with the aftermath, watching from the sidelines.

“You were...” Seonghwa paused, taking a deep breath. “You were really... and I mean _really_ choked up about smelling Hongjoong on me that night.” He finishes. Yunho’s face changes with realization, leaning back against the swing in almost relief. 

“Oh my fuck... Hyung... I’m so sorry. I hope I didn’t give you too hard a time about it?” Yunho seems to recognize even out of his rut-induced state that he must have been pretty rabid about Hongjoong. Jealous, even. Seonghwa puts a hand on Yunho’s leg, leaning against him comfortingly.

“It was cute, really... you kept on trying to get my attention, take it away from the ‘other alpha’.” It hadn’t been that cute actually, more scary. And upsetting. Yunho had been so choked up and devastated, like Seonghwa had been cheating on him or something. Seonghwa hadn’t known alphas were that intent on keeping a bond.

Yunho was red, ears pink and cheeks a cherry sort of color. “I’m... honestly disgusted.”

“Yunho! You don’t need to be, pup, it was sweet!” It had been sweet, just saddening as well.

“I’m just... I can’t even remember that! That’s scary, Hyung... I wouldn’t even know if my intentions were good or not, if I had hurt you in that state.”

“You could never hurt me, pup.” Seonghwa insisted, rubbing Yunho’s shoulder.

“You don’t know that.”

“But I do.” Seonghwa said back and that was the end of it. And Yunho didn’t know any better.

He had told the truth... just not the whole truth.

One day, he said to himself. He would have the courage to tell Yunho the whole story. But for now, he didn’t want to ruin... this. And this was perfect. What they had right now worked, somehow, even if it was less than satisfactory. Better to let it slide until the moment was less... tender. Less personal. Seonghwa wants Yunho to have just one day without having to process some newfound rut craziness or other confusions he had been experiencing the last few weeks. 

Seonghwa decides to call Hongjoong that evening, stepping back out onto Yunho’s porch alone, holding the phone close to his head and anticipating the clack of the call being answered.

_“Hey Hwa, what’s up.”_

“Hongjoong... hey. How are you?” Seonghwa feels tense.

_“I’m fine...”_ Hongjoong says, voice concerned. _“Hwa are you okay? You sound upset.”_

“I’m not. I’m really not, it’s just....” No use beating around the bush in this situation. Might as well get it over with. Hongjoong would understand. Definitely. Didn’t he say he had fuckbuddies in the past? And it’s not like they’re dating or anything...

“We need to stop seeing each other. Like, as fuckbuddies.” Seonghwa finally chokes out. There. It’s out in the open for Hongjoong to process. The ball is in his field now.

_“I was... actually I was just about to ask you that... I wanted to do it in person, but still...”_ Hongjoong says. 

“Really? Wait, why?” Seonghwa asked.

Hongjoong pauses, voice turning playful over the phone. _“I kind of got asked to be someone’s date for prom and I kind of want to say yes... but I needed to know you were okay with... breaking things off a bit beforehand.”_

“Hongjoong! What the fuck, that’s awesome! You’re giving... you’re giving dating another go?” 

_“Don’t get you’re hopes up too soon, it’s just one date and I’m not sure about it yet... we’re just trying shit out, you know? Nothing official...”_

“The way you like it I figure.”

_“You know my style as always, Hwa.”_ Hongjoong laughs at the older boy.

“So... prom then, huh?” Seonghwa continues after a moment.

_“Prom, man...”_ Hongjoong sighs, voice crackling through the phone. _”You know, I went alone last year so this is gonna be... anlearning experience I think.”_ It’s hard to imagine the ever-popular Kim Hongjoong had been single for his prom night... Seonghwa figured they guy must have had people lining up outside his dorm before the anticipated date.

“I mean, more than I’ve done... I didn’t get to go last year at all.” That night when Seonghwa realized he had feelings for Yunho had been right before the end of school, as well as his senior prom year. Twirling around a dance floor with no worries was the last thing on his mind at the time.

_“You gonna go with your friends?”_ Hongjoong continues.

“Maybe...” Seonghwa thinks about it. Yunho would definitely want him to come. If nothing, Wooyoung would probably peer-pressure him into coming in the end. Seonghwa wondered if it was appropriate for a graduate to attend prom if he didn’t have a date attending. Did it make sense for him to go with his friends? Seonghwa figures it’d be good to experience the classic part of high school life even if it was a year late... and Yunho would probably give him those puppy eyes and that fucking pout and convince him to sneak in anyways. “I’ll probably come, yeah.”

_“If that’s the case... want to go shopping for prom outfits together this week?”_ Hongjoong asks enthusiastically.

Seonghwa is taken aback by the request. It hasn’t registered in his mind him and Hongjoong were still pretty close besides not being official fuckbuddies anymore. “You- you mean that?”

_“You’re still one of my closest friends... pretty sure we can find a way to have fun outside of fucking...?”_ Seonghwa can practically hear Hongjoong’s sly grin through the phone.

“Yeah... yeah, I’d like that a lot actually.” Seonghwa smiles. Hongjoong is quite the fashionista... he’d probably help Seonghwa pick out a killer outfit for the pup’s prom night.

When he hung up the phone finally Yunho suggested they try baking cookies together like they did as kids. Seonghwa pulled up a recipe off of the internet and they both yelped in glee as Yunho slopped the butter onto the floor from the bowl twice in a row. Seonghwa took over halfway through, working his arms to combine together the dough into an near ball, and Yunho had a lot of fun sprinkling in the chocolate chips.

That night, Seonghwa found himself in Yunho’s arms once more, curled up in the pup’s bed, not bothering to think about what kind of implications that brought with it, as far as he was concerned, him and Yunho were two kids. A little pup and a little kitten who didn’t need to think twice about wanting to be near each other in such an innocent way as this, not needing to think twice about what people might think. No one could see right now. No one but them.

And maybe that’s how things should be every once and awhile.

“You’re squeezing me, Hyung.” Yunho murmurs, voice rumbling and sending vibrations through Seonghwa’s body. The cat hybrid loves it when the pup’s voice got all deep and rough with sleep.

“Sorry, puppy...” Seonghwa lightens his hold a bit, still wrapped around the pup like a koala. Yunho just laughs, and the older boy can feel the vibrations form that too, tingling his spine. 

“Am I your puppy now?” Yunho asks, acknowledging the new nickname.

“You’re my big overgrown baby...” Seonghwa purrs. Yunho just shifts comfortably in return, placing his own warm hand over Seonghwa’s, wrapped around his waist.

He likes the way Yunho’s broad back feels so steady against his chest as he spoons the taller pup, tail moving to curl protectively around the both of them. 

Roses and cream... peaches and roses? Both melted together, not quite combining but existing as two. Like they’d always been perhaps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> strap in kids cause next chapter is an absolute roller coaster ride. as i said we are reaching the final limits of calm... before things boil over
> 
> hope you all enjoyed this calmer, slower-paced chapter! 
> 
> thank you for reading <3


	15. Every Single Star

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you’re all ready for this chapter... it’s a big one for our two best boys
> 
> as always thank you all for the love and support for this fic!! all the kudos and comments are more than i ever could have expected when i started writing this project... i’m so glad you all find joy in this fic
> 
> please enjoy reading <3

“Oh _fuck_ ” Wooyoung nods his head up and down slowly, expression one of amazement. “Yunho I swear to fucking... if you’re not laid by the end of the night I’m going to personally handpick someone to absolutely rail you in the outfit I’ve got planned.”

Yunho blushes, still not moving his arms as the stylist fits his body for a suit, tailored to his form and according to Wooyoung and Mingi, it would make him look like a ‘modern prince‘. “Royalty in a nutshell, that’s what I’ll call my vision.” Wooyoung says, panning his hands out in front of the taller pup for effect. Yunho shrugs. Between him and Seonghwa, he had always felt like the cat hybrid fit the princely image perfectly while Yunho felt like just a semi-endearing scamp in comparison.

Mingi twirls out of the dressing room next to the two pups, parting the velvety blue curtains in a just as velvety red suit, the first few buttons undone and exposing part of his chest in typical Mingi fashion, the tie loosened to match. “How do I look?” 

“Like a heartbreaker.” Yunho smiles at him. The wolf hybrid can look like such a bad boy especially when he dressed up like this. It contrasted with his timid, sweet personality so well though. Wooyoung had been pestering Mingi to tell them about his recent date for weeks now. Yunho was glad that prom was coming up so soon because he almost thought the curly-tailed boy might explode if he went another day not knowing who Mingi was currently romancing. Yunho himself was pretty curious, but held off on the constant bugging.

“I’m- okay, maybe it’s height. Maybe that’s why I look like hot garbage in anything the same color...” Wooyoung yaps on, rolling his eyes as Mingi and Yunho continue to admire each other. “You guys are so fucking annoying...”

“Woo! You should try out a suit, cmon! It can’t look that bad!” Yunho highly doubts Wooyoung actually looks _that_ bad in suits.

“I’ll stick to my mismatched jackets and leather pants, thanks... you guys have fun though.” Wooyoung smiles at his friends and shakes his picks for prom night in front of them, a gray blazer and extra-tight black leather pants that would definitely give him a ‘stern warning’ from the school later on. The pup disappears into another dressing room, curly tail wagging behind him.

Yunho ends up picking out a gray suit with a white dress shirt loose underneath, matching pants and some slightly heeled shoes making him tower over his friends even more than he already did. It contrasted nicely with the soft gold of his hair and ears and his skin tone. Yunho liked the look on him, but Mingi seemed to take it to the next level, swearing that Yunho’s body was meant for suits, that he should have been wearing them for years.

“Your shoulders look so... _big_ and your legs look so _long_ , Yunho... you’re like a model or something.” Mingi says softly as Yunho finalizes the look, adjusting the jacket and turning back and forth in the mirror, buttoning and unbuttoning the suit so he could get all the angles.

Yunho thinks he might look nice, but not nearly as jaw-dropping as his friends say he is. The only thing that convinces him is when Seonghwa comes around the corner of the department store unannounced and puts a hand over his mouth, eyes widening and gasping when he sees Yunho. Hongjoong trails along behind him, grinning when he sees the other felines reaction to the pup.

“Yunho? What are you doing here?!” Seonghwa approaches where Yunho is standing by the dressing rooms and holds his hands out, finding purchase on the lapels of the pup’s suit and looking up at him with little stars in his eyes. Yunho can feel his ears turning redder and redder by the second.

“I’m, uh... Wooyoung wanted to take me and Mingi shopping for prom, so we saw the suit fitting place and just... popped in?” Yunho rubs his neck nervously, looking back and forth between Seonghwa so close to him and Hongjoong crossing his arms and looking at the pair amusedly, leaning against a shelf in a casual manner. 

Yunho must admit that at the first sight of Hongjoong, the alpha in him rose up a bit but remembering what Seonghwa had said about him getting upset during his rut, Yunho immediately works to suppress it. He reminds his alpha that Seonghwa has since stopped sleeping with the feline. Besides, Seonghwa was right here, so _close_ to him now, so who was the winner really? Fuck... that was such a messed up way to think about this... Yunho doesn’t think of Seonghwa like that at all, like a trophy to be won over.

“I’m glad you did... pup, you look so handsome...” Handsome? Seonghwa thought he was handsome? The alpha seems to be back and stronger than ever, willing Yunho to return the cat hybrid’s gentle hold on Yunho’s lapels by holding the feline’s waist, sliding down to his hips, but no... fuck. Stop, stop stop stop...

“I uh... thank- thank you, Hyung...” Yunho stutters, smiling wide at the cat hybrid. “What- what are you planning on wearing?” 

Seonghwa opens his mouth, then closes it, making eye contact with Hongjoong behind him and stuffing an item of clothing he had previously been carrying in one hand into a shopping bag before Yunho had noticed it. He looks back at the pup mischievously. “It’s a surprise, we’ve decided.” 

But before he can fully cover the garments in his bag, Yunho catches a glance of Seonghwa’s items. It’s a maroon velvet texture that looks so soft to the touch and glossy under the dim glow of the department lighting. Yunho’s eyes widen. Seonghwa would look so so pretty in that... Yunho hoped it was his final decision on what to wear.

The golden-haired boy smiles down at him sweetly as Seonghwa hands the bags back to Hongjoong. Suddenly, the cat hybrid is pulling him into a tight hug, arms wrapping around Yunho’s boxy, suited up form and purring gently, getting up on the tips of his toes. “You’re going to look so good on that dance floor in a few days, pup.” Yunho feels a blush wash over his face and ears, not having time to reciprocate before Seonghwa pulls back, smile still wide on his face. “Maybe you’ll even find a cute date to dance with?” 

Yunho’s mind shuts down the idea immediately subconsciously. “I’ll have plenty of fun dancing with you and Mingi and everyone, Hyung.” He reassures the older boy, who pouts and shakes Yunho’s shoulder stubbornly.

“You’re too kind to us, pup... you know you could be getting any pretty omega out there.” Seonghwa raises an eyebrow teasingly.

I don’t want an omega, Yunho thinks to himself dismissively. All he really wanted was to have a fun night with his friends and get to dance with Seonghwa finally. The pup has been wanting to since the New Years party several months ago... this time he thought he might have a plan and the cat hybrid would have no excuses not to. 

Before Yunho could say anything, Seonghwa was waving goodbye to him cheerily, skipping off with Hongjoong who gave Yunho a friendly smile before following the taller feline. Yunho can’t help but feel a bit jealous, a little sad he didn’t get to shop with Seonghwa more often than he got to. He can remember how sweet it was, the cat hybrid slipping all the little clips and bows into Yunho’s hair and cooing at the sight.

Maybe him and Seonghwa could spend more time together at the actual prom, or at the fair Mingi and Wooyoung and him had planned going to after hours... This week was going to be an action-packed one for sure.

_______

Seonghwa turns back and forth in the bathrooms down the hall of the ballroom area, Hongjoong seated in an open stall next to him, tagging all his socials up on the corner of the wall with a sharpie marker. “I think you look fine, Hwa.. l’d just go out here and knock em dead or whatever they say...” 

“You think it’s too casual? Or like... too performer-esque...” Seonghwa asks him, sticking his ass out and lifting his tail experimentally before shaking his head and bringing his ass back to its rightful place quickly. 

“What does that even mean..?” Hongjoong chuckles. “You’re a knockout, Hwa. As always. Don’t worry, it’s not like anyone’s gonna kick you out for ‘dishonoring the dress code’. Besides, they’d be after me in a second if that was the case...” The smaller feline is wearing a black suit with sequins dotted across the fabric and shiny silver studs sticking out from the edge of the suit, hair swept back in the usual greaser style and sporting a dark charcoal look with on his under eyes. 

“Hmm..” Seonghwa murmurs, taking a little tube of slightly shimmery lipgloss out of his pocket and dabbing a bit more in the corner of his mouth. He was wearing a soft droopy maroon velvet dress shirt and long tight pants that flowed out at the bottom, the look completed by the slight red heels Seonghwa had borrowed from his eomma’s closet. The cat hybrid was also wearing makeup, a bit of glitter around his eyes paired with the gloss on his lips. He looked... slutty, at least that’s what he thought but Hongjoong swore he looked like a fairy prince, not a whore. Seonghwa wasn’t sure which he preferred honestly.

Deep breath in, deep breath out. Everything was fine. And Seonghwa exits the bathroom stalls, releasing himself into the crowded array of different people attending prom that night, many still bustling in the halls as music booms in the other room.

The student body had cleared out the theater area and turned it into a ballroom of sorts, decking out the curtains in the windows with ribbons and streamers, setting out drinks and snacks at a giant bar to the side, even putting up a giant disco ball reflecting many colored shards of light over the crowd. There’s canines, felines, every hybrid of every shape and size. Seonghwa waves to Dahyun and Chaeyoung on his way out through the hall, the two felines chatting quite intimately amongst each other.

Overall, the whole ballroom is a busy place, music playing throughout the halls, several particularly confident individuals choosing to dance on the raised stage... it feels almost like a concert with all the people.

Seonghwa spots Yeosang first grabbing some snacks from the bar, the fox hybrid all decked out in monochrome, black skirt and tights with an off the shoulder top to match which looked a bit too casual for the occasion but who was Seonghwa to tell him that, right? The fox hybrid smiles as Seonghwa shuffles up. “Decided to go all out?”

“Tell me about it... you know Hongjoong found this at a thrift shop? I didn’t even know that was an... like, an actual option for clothes!” Seonghwa exclaimed. His parents had always brought him to upscale and designer places all throughout his youth, insisting on only the best for their “perfect little queen”.

“That’s both extremely sad and extremely cute at the same time.” Yeosang laughs, biting down on a pretzel stick.

Seonghwa sighs. “No date?” It’s a dumb question, as the cat hybrid is well aware Yeosang didn’t have eyes for anyone but a certain stocky dog hybrid somewhere in this mix of people.

“I’m getting by on my lonesome...” Yeosang says with his deep, wistful theater kid voice. “Trying my best to avoid you-know-who.” He gestures to Seonghwa’s left and sure enough, seen clearly across the ballroom there’s Jongho, chatting away with two other dog hybrids. The boy makes eye contact with Yeosang from across the room but immediately looks away, returning to his conversation. The fox hybrid sighs. “I fucking hate this.”

“I’m so sorry, Yeo...” Seonghwa rubs Yeosang’s shoulder gently. “Maybe he’ll come around soon? He’ll never be able to if you don’t give him a chance.”

“Yeah, I know...” Yeosang responds. “I’m just really... bitter at this point. I know I shouldn’t be but... staying angry is a lot easier than being sad, right?”

Seonghwa truthfully... can’t remember there ever being a time when he was angry at Yunho for... well, anything, really. “You tell me, I wouldn’t know.” He smiles sadly. 

“Lucky gorgeous bastard...” Yeosang laughs, taking a whole handful of pretzel sticks and stuffing them in his mouth pitifully.

“May I have this dance, Hyung?” A deep voice sounds from behind Seonghwa. He already knows exactly who it belongs to.

Seonghwa turns around slowly to be met with a very familiar image, still permanently ingrained in his mind from a few days ago at the department store.

Yunho is wearing a suit, the same one as before, the dark gray one with a white dress shirt underneath. He’s undone some of the buttons and has long pants to match, making him appear even taller than he already was and he looks... heaven sent quite truthfully. The suit brings out his broad shoulders so they look broader, his long legs look longer, his smile seems brighter, floppy ears perked up. Yunho was made to wear suits, Seonghwa figures. He then notices the addition to his best friend’s outfit, a baby blue satin tie done loose like his shirt, the same exact color and material as their ribbon bracelets. 

“Pup... it’s not even time for the slow dance yet and you’re already asking me? So impatient.” Seonghwa teases, flicking his tail dismissively. “Wheres Mingi?” Ideally at dances like this, the two canines would be attached at the hip, busting moves left and right and gradually becoming the talk of the school once again. It was a tradition at this point.

“He’s a little... busy.” Yunho motions his head towards the middle of the dance floor, Seonghwa following the direction with his eyes. There in the middle of the floor is the wolf hybrid in question, being dipped and twirled back and forth in a joking way by another wolf hybrid that must be half his size, probably even smaller than Hongjoong. 

“His name is Hwanwoong... he’s in dance with us sometimes but he works at the pizza place most days...” Yunho explains. Hwanwoong and Mingi giggle and sashay through the crowd, laughing and talking amongst each other adoringly. Hwanwoong seems to be having a difficult time holding a hysterical Mingi up but he’s trying his best all the same. Seonghwa can’t get over their height difference, which is absolutely ridiculous and adorable from this angle. 

“You upset that Hwanwoong stole your dance partner?” Seonghwa purrs, patting Yunho’s broad shoulder. “Go have fun, pup. Don’t let my old weary bones hold you back from having a good time.” Seonghwa motions to shoo Yunho off. He wanted the pup to go out and make some new friends, take out his energy, relax a bit since the emotional rut. Maybe he’ll take Yunho up on his offer a bit later but for now... the younger boy needed some excitement. The pup sighs and whines a bit but complies, going off to find Wooyoung presumably.

Meanwhile, Hongjoong has emerged from the bathroom and is sulking in a corner of the ballroom, looking like he’s right about to bite his own hand off from stress, a strange sight for a feline usually so confident. What was going on?

Seonghwa sidles up to the tabby boy, nudging him curiously. He looks nervous, only slightly so but still. Maybe if Seonghwa danced with him it would take his mind off of... whatever’s bugging him.

“Is your date here yet, or do I have one last dance with you?” Seonghwa offers, smiling at the shorter boy.

“Actually...” Hongjoong looks behind Seonghwa for just a second, expression turning to one of excitement. “He’s here now.”

Seonghwa turns around to be met with _quite the sight_.

Choi San himself comes strutting through the entrance to the ballroom in a purple sequin tuxedo, the crowd parting around him with cheers, head and bobtail held high. Hongjoong’s eyes brighten up a crazy amount when the lynx hybrid reaches them. San grins at him and Seonghwa, wrapping an arm around the smaller boys side.

“I look good?” The lynx hybrid purrs, looking down at his date.

“Shut up...” Hongjoong mutters at him, giving the taller feline a playful shove. “You’re a fucking showstopper, man... always have been.” The tabby says with affection in his voice, platonic or romantic or a mix of the two, Seonghwa wasn’t even sure at this point.

“This a good time to say you look like a hobo that got caught in a western?” San giggles at the end of his sentence, followed by another shove from Hongjoong, a bit rougher this time. “Kidding, kidding... you look hot as fuck...” San groans.

Seonghwa snorts next to them, amused by the couple’s antics already. “Out of all the people... I wasn’t expecting this...”

“Hey, Hwa. You don’t mind if I call you that.. right, gorgeous?” San winks at the taller cat hybrid and Seonghwa instantly does a little fake swoon.

“You’ll have to ask your date...” Seonghwa glanced at Hongjoong who just looks like he’s enjoying the view, both Seonghwa and San in one frame, his mind must be spiraling places. 

“Okay, first thing I gotta get straight, can we do threesomes? Cause...” San rakes his eyes up Seonghwa’s entire form, whistling wolfishly. Seonghwa just laughs and rolls his eyes. 

“ _Okay_... why don’t you get us some punch, Sannie?” Hongjoong grabs the taller boy by the back of his suit and directs him towards the snack bar, to which San shrugs and does as he’s told, immediately hitting up a conversation with a few other felines on his way across the ballroom. Hongjoong grins nervously at Seonghwa after he’s gone.

“He’s... I know it’s shocking... I’ve known San for awhile and we’re just kind of trying shit out, nothing serious at all.”

“Yeah, I see that... you two are cute either way.” Seonghwa purrs, figuring it’s past the time to ask for a dance. 

“Heh... that’s... yeah. He’s really cute and trigger-happy, I’m pretty sure he thrives off of making people freaked out or surprised.”

“You two should dance together! Maybe set some ground rules, talk about future dates etcetera... all that couple stuff I’ve never experienced...” Seonghwa pouts in mock sadness.

“We’re two toms so... it’s gonna be an eyesore for more than one idiot out there.” Hongjoong shrugs. “You know I’m still trying to find out if he’s just dating me to piss off his parents or something.”

“Good luck, you little heartbreaker.” Seonghwa laughs. He’s pretty sure him and San will handle each other just fine out there. Two populars like them, it’d probably set a good example for the rest of the prejudiced felines. 

“Hey... don’t go telling people I’m a heartbreaker now, I’ve got a reputation here!” The cat hybrid is already heading towards the snack bar to join his date, but twirls around on his feet last minute, holding a finger up. “Oh yeah, also... I’m actually suuuper open to the whole threesome thing if you ever wanna...” He trails off, looking at Seonghwa questioningly. 

Seonghwa’s eyes immediately magnetize towards the tall blonde-haired pup doing twirls at the far side of the dance floor, Wooyoung and Changbin clapping for him. “I’m...” Seonghwa considers his words. Of course Hongjoong already knew Seonghwa liked Yunho in... in that way but that didn’t change the fact that talking about the subject was nerve-wracking. “I feel like I’d be... lying to myself if I tried to continue that kind of thing... but thanks for the offer anyways.”

Hongjoong just nods understandingly. “Hey, can’t win em all, right? Hope you get what you want, Hwa.” And with one last smirk and wink combo, Hongjoong is off rushing over to san’s side. And Seonghwa is alone again. What... did he want though, exactly? He should go join Yunho.

A threesome? Really? Maybe a month ago Seonghwa actually might have considered the offer but now... he had more things to worry about. Or rather sulk in, not worry. He feels like he’s past worrying at this point. Either way there was no doubt Hongjoong and San were going to get up to some... crazy shit during the course of their relationship. Seonghwa was excited to watch them figure stuff out... from a distance of course.

One of the school administrators hops onto the raised stage at the end of the ballroom a few songs later and announces that they’ll be doing a karaoke segment for the next hour or so, with volunteers and some of the actual music and vocal majors in the school doing some of their own songs. Seonghwa continues to cheer on Yunho b-boying across the dance floor, laughing with Wooyoung and Changbin who were getting touchy with each other as per usual.

But halfway through the first singer’s rendition of EXO’s call me baby, there’s a long microphone whine in the speakers as a certain Doberman hybrid stumbles into the stage and knocks off the cat hybrid singer, who looks pissed but doesn’t try to confront him. 

“Jongho?!” Yunho exclaims from next to Seonghwa. The dog hybrid looks terrified, like he’s not quite sure what he’s gotten himself into, clutching the microphone to his chest and searching frantically across the crowd. Seonghwa turns to his right to see Yeosang sighing with embarrassment a few feet away from the cat hybrid, plastic cup full of punch in his hand.

Jongho takes a very deep breath before nervously stuttering. “Uh h- hi everyone...”

The crowd is silent. Seonghwa blinks, confused as the rest of the school. What exactly was the boy trying to do up there?

“I- I know it’s kind of sudden but... I wanted to do this before I- before I lost my confidence.” Jongho gulps, gathering himself and finally speaking loudly into the mic. “Kang Yeosang.”

Seonghwa turns again to his right to see Yeosang go stiff, all eyes now on him, clutching his punch and straightening up awkwardly.

Jongho continues. “You... I just wanted to say you- you make me the happiest person in the world... And I hope you know how much you mean to- to me...” The pup pauses. “And- and I also wanted to say I’m sorry... in- in song form though.” Jongho looks over at the sound booth and just like that, the sound of a flute echoes throughout the room as “my heart will go on” begins to play, half of the crowd going “awww” and Yeosang looking like he wants to hide in a hole or bail or something _anything_ other than be right here right now.

Jongho has a... phenomenal singing voice, seeming to vibrate throughout the whole room it was so powerful. Seonghwa can feel the pup’s vibrato echoing in his soul almost, and Yeosang... Yeosang has his head in his hands, not wanting to look up at his best friend. Upon closer inspection however, Seonghwa can see a wide smile on the fox hybrid’s face, concealed by his hand. 

The pup sings through the entire song, gesturing out to Yeosang every now and then and looking straight into his eyes as he did. Eventually, the fox hybrid comes out from his hand shield and just crosses his arms in a sort of defense, smiling up at Jongho and at him with the most affection Seonghwa has seen in his eyes period. It’s cute, the two of them. Seonghwa just hope Yeosang’s positive reaction carries on into the later parts of the song.

After Jongho sets the mic down and shrugs unknowingly, looking ready to bolt off the stage, Yeosang finally moves from his place in the crowd, stepping up into the stage and taking up the mic from where Jongho stared on in shock. The fox hybrid can’t help but laugh, curling over, eyes joyful and heels clicking together in his little skirt.

“I’m sorry, Jongho, but that was so fucking cheesy.” Yeosang giggles. Jongho laughs nervously as the fox hybrid continues. “I’ve gotta say, Celine dion could _never_.” 

And suddenly, Yeosang is grabbing Jongho’s tie and pulling the dog hybrid into a heated kiss, dipping him in the process, pressing him and the younger boy together, sucking at him like he’s eating his face off, lapping into his mouth fervently. Jongho just stumbles, terrified as ever before his expression turns soft and his eyes close, holding onto the fox hybrid’s shoulders and letting Yeosang lead the kiss, have his way.

All around them, everyone is either looking on awkwardly in silence, screwing their faces up in disgust or there’s the select few who are cheering the two canines on, Seonghwa, Yunho, Wooyoung and Mingi being among them. Yeosang finally relents, letting the dog hybrid come up for air with a dazed expression, eyes scanning Yeosang’s before the fox hybrid breaks out into laughter once more and clutching Jongho’s hands, leads the boy off the stage clumsily.

There’s a moment of silence, and then the music kicks back in again, this time a slow dance song. Everyone in the ballroom seemingly forgets the incident and begin to pair off, including Wooyoung and Changbin as well as Mingi and Hwanwoong, the smaller boy positioning the wolf hybrid’s hands over his own shoulders and teaching him how to ‘dance like an old person’. It’s a cute sight, seeing Mingi so smitten over someone else other than Yunho, and half his size no less.

“Should I go and look for.., Jong- Jongsang?” Seonghwa asks Yunho, coming up with the dumb nickname halfway through his sentence.

Yunho laughs back. “I mean... they seemed a little busy right?” He shrugs.

“True...” Seonghwa responds, shifting from one side of his hips to the other anxiously. “I saw it coming a mile away.”

“Hyung?! You’ve gotta be joking, I had... _no_ idea they were a thing.” Seonghwa looks up at the pup in disbelief. Yunho continues. “ Really! I just thought Yeosang was really drunk that one time at Sans place.” Yunho was truly... so, _so_ dense when it came to romance, not just his own it seems. Seonghwa so often wishes he could snap the pup out of the dense unknowing haze he seems to be in constantly but then again, the obliviousness was just as unbelievable as it was cute.

“I mean he was a pretty screwed up that night but.... you know... Sometimes when you’re feeling reckless enough, true feelings are finally revealed...” Seonghwa trails off, just shifting next to Yunho awkwardly. It was... it was great Yeosang and Jongho had figured things out so... suddenly and in such a grand way, in front of the whole school as a wild/domestic relationship. It was definitely pretty ballsy, especially with the kiss, that over the top mouth-sucking, as the cherry on top. Seonghwa hopes those two idiots are having the fuck of their lives right now somewhere in the bathrooms.

But a part of the cat hybrid is also... jealous, or rather envious would be a better word. And of course he’s not letting their sudden get together make him think for a second him and Yunho could be the same because... obviously their situation was far more complicated and risky.... but the soft, innocent idea of that still bloomed all throughout Seonghwa’s mind. No, stop _no_. Bad thoughts. 

Seonghwa should just be happy Yeosang gets to... live out his dreams and have even the idea of a chance with Jongho. It’s what the fox hybrid deserves.

The sound of smooth, sensual music is echoing throughout the halls still as the music switches to a romantic jazzy tune and Seonghwa can’t help but look next to him at Yunho, his best friend.

Yunho looks... so dapper and charming in his outfit. Especially with the warm gold lighting from inside the ballroom, lining his golden hair and soft floppy ears like a halo. And Seonghwa felt like he’d thought it a million times this night but... the dog hybrid’s form was truly made to wear a suit. Yunho’s tail is wagging excitedly behind him.

“Dance with me, Hyung? As friends?” The dog hybrid suddenly asks, taking Seonghwa off guard. 

Seonghwa can remember Yunho asking him to dance several months back, at the New Years party. It hadn’t been the same situation of course, the dancing back then was a lot more rough improv rather than this, which is a proper slow dance.

“You know we can’t do that, pup. In front of the whole school...” They would undoubtedly get so much shit thrown their way... if people saw them dancing. It might even trigger the harassment levels from before Yunho’s growth spurt to make a comeback. Kids would stare, would spit ugly comments, some might even throw things at them. 

To be in a feline/canine friendship was shallow waters compared to what it would mean to dance together out there among all the other ‘normal’ dancing partners. Even if it was as friends, even if it was platonic, no one would care. 

“We can try ballroom, Hyung! It’ll be fun, come on...” Yunho is still persistent. Seonghwa was confused. Surely the dog hybrid knows they’ll get publicly ridiculed?

“We can’t, Yunho. I’m sorry.” Seonghwa touches his shoulder reassuringly. He didn’t feel the need to dance with anyone else, but maybe they could hook Yunho up with a partner. The pup seemed excited about the slow dance.

“We don’t need to be in the main room with everyone to dance, Hyung.” Yunho smiles confidently at Seonghwa, taking his hand and leading him further down the hallway.

“Yunho? What...” Seonghwa lets himself be led, despite his best efforts.

“Trust me.” The pup’s tail is wagging as they walk.

The golden-haired boy brings Seonghwa up a staircase to the second floor of the building, full of empty classrooms, still dimly lit by the panel lights dotting the halls. The floor is deserted since all the students are down in the ballroom right now. Seonghwa can actually see somewhat of the dance floor through the observational windows lining the inner walls of the corridors. 

They walk even further down the second hall, finally stopping at an area where the hall widens out, floor to ceiling windows showcasing the parking lot below. Yunho cranks open one of the observational windows out into the ballroom so that the music could clearly be heard throughout the second floor hall. The pup turns on his heel suavely and holds out his hand invitingly once again, smiling at Seonghwa who is speechless. 

“You were saying?” 

“Now no one can see us...” Seonghwa says simply.

“Now no one can judge us.” Yunho echoes back, still holding out a hand expectantly, looking on at the older boy with hope, wagging his tail. “Will you finally dance with me, Seonghwa Hyung?”

Seonghwa smiles and pretends to curtsy, not having a skirt to hold out. “I will.” He takes his best friends hand in his own, placing the other on Yunho’s wide shoulder, the pup taking a hold on his waist. 

“I’ve been brushing up on my skills...” Yunho murmurs. 

“Mmhm... we’ll see about that. I get to lead next.” 

“With pleasure.” Yunho gives Seonghwa an encouraging smile.

They begin to twirl around the hall, dancing in a boxy rhythm, trying to remember the steps before really letting loose, and Yunho... surely must have learnt more about ballroom dancing in his classes or something. The pup was leading Seonghwa gracefully, the tap of their feet clearly heard alongside the music filtering through the window, against the backdrop of the parking lot outside. It really shouldn’t be romantic as it feels.

Yunho moves to dip Seonghwa, strong arms holding him up steadily, the cat hybrid’s tail moving to balance them, and then they return to the first position. Yunho giggles at him, smile wide and sweet. “See, Hyung? We’re naturals... I dare say we could compete.”

And suddenly Seonghwa’s mind is flashing back to a memory. Him and Yunho are probably ten and nine, pretend-ballroom dancing in Yunho’s basement, illuminated by the dim light of the glowing tv, still displaying the forgotten dance dance revolution menu. Seonghwa has a hand on his best friend’s shoulder, trying to teach him to lead. He figures those ballroom dance lessons his parents subjected him to at an early age were useful after all. Yunho giggled, probably not taking in any information, and the cat hybrid decided that he should lead instead to show his younger friend how. 

Seonghwa can remember Yunho’s face lighting up with joy when he finally kind-of did a basic waltz. The pup tried to twirl Seonghwa and they ended up falling on top of each other in laughing fit, Yunho muttering something about being sleepy. He remembers they had slept right there, on the floor where they fell.

In the present, Yunho’s face lights up so much like it did back in that memory, laughing when Seonghwa accidentally steps on his feet. “Aren’t you supposed to be the one with actual ballroom dancing background.” He says teasingly. Seonghwa thinks he must be pretty distracted.

“Sorry, pup... just in my head.”

“May I bring you back out?” Yunho looks so handsome even in the crappy lighting of the school hallway. It’s honestly unfair.

Seonghwa feels himself gradually smile back at his best friend. 

Somehow, even if things have changed so much since then, Seonghwa feels like in so many ways they’re the exact same little kids dancing playfully in Yunho’s basement, twirling all around and falling over each other, hidden from the rest of the world, unaware that they could never do this in public. Free to laugh and smile without judgement.

Yunho keeps adding in little improvisational moves here and there, even stopping to do a little hip movement at one point swaying from side to side, Seonghwa just standing back and rolling his eyes at him. Yunho glides with ease, so in his element, clapping for the cat hybrid when he tries to do a ballet-esque move with his hands in the air. And then they’d return to the ballroom position, making it up as they went along, because no one was there to tell them how they should do things. No one could see, no one could judge.

That’s why when Yunho twirls Seonghwa around and around over and over again excessively, Seonghwa doesn’t mind being a bit dizzy. When he twirls all the way back the other way, giggling as he went, he didn’t think about anyone else down in that ballroom. When Yunho catches him and their faces are so, so close because of the improvised move, Seonghwa doesn’t think once about moving. 

And when neither of them try to move away, neither of them try to fight back against whatever might be happening, Seonghwa sees so much affection in is best friend’s eyes, and realizes this reminded him of that one night, when Yunho had just come back to school last year. 

How much would he regret it... if he were to run away, just like he did a year ago, that fateful night at Yunhos house? The moment he realized that fate chose a much harder path for him than he ever could have dreamed. How much would he hate himself if he backed out now, before he got too attached to this.. possibility. Before he began to hope, and believe that they had a chance at... whatever this is. Whatever this choice holds for both him and Yunho. How much would he regret it if he stayed. How much would he regret it if he didn’t do anything.

Yunho’s eyes are so wide, Seonghwa can see every detail on his best friends face, every eyelash, every shade of brown in his irises. Yunho seems nervous, Seonghwa can even feel his heart beating they’re so close. And he thinks that in this moment... he wouldn’t regret anything. Not one thing at at all. 

And he didn’t care one bit wether or not he would in the future.

Seonghwa leans foreword and Yunho follows suit, breath catching in the taller boy’s throat as Seonghwa’s hand meets his cheek, caressing the skin there like it might be stitched from satin. 

And then they’re kissing. Simple as that, neither of the two try to deepen the kiss, what lies beneath is complicated enough. 

Seonghwa is kissing Yunho and it’s nothing like any of the neck kisses they’ve shared during the dog hybrid’s ruts, nothing like the heated, desperate biting and nosing shared in those fleeting moments. It’s not even like the soft, gentle kisses Yunho would press into his tummy and chest after they were spent and finished. This kiss, this kiss held so much more weight than any of the previous ones had. This one was a confirmation, a promise.

Yunho’s lips taste like peaches and cream, and Seonghwa feels like he’ll never get enough of it. The dog hybrid moves one of his hands to cradle the back of Seonghwa’s head gently, running fingers through his dark hair and the back of his ears, the other hand still on his waist.

When they resurface, Seonghwa feels he could have been underwater for weeks and never known any time had passed. He keeps his forehead up against Yunho’s, breathing deep and looking deep into the other’s eyes, holding every unanswered question, every confession, everything that might have been said. But the pup doesn’t say any of those. All he says is... 

“You’re beautiful.” 

Seonghwa can’t help but giggle a bit, eyes scrunching up, still so close to Yunho. 

“What’s so funny? It’s true..” The taller boy smiles back, taking up Seonghwa’s hand in his own, pressing their palms together, spreading their fingers. Seonghwa’s hand really looked so little in comparison.

“I kiss you, like _actually_ kiss you for the first time and _that’s_ the first thing you say to try and break the ice? You’re so silly, pup...” Seonghwa ceases his giggling, gazing back into Yunho’s eyes.

“And I’m not stopping there. Hyung, your eyes look like they hold every single star in their depths. I could get lost in them... your lips are soft as rose petals and they taste like some kind of nectar...” Yunho trills on, half teasing half serious. 

Seonghwa can feel himself blush all the same, cheeks matching Yunho’s dusted pink ears. He closes his eyes and kisses Yunho a second time, and a third, and a fourth time just because they can right now, with no one watching them, no one staring, no one at all. It really felt like it was only him and Yunho in the world in this moment. “You’re one to talk when you’re the most handsome...” Seonghwa murmurs in between kisses. “Most handsome little pup in the world, with you golden hair and soft cheeks... like an angel...”

When their lips separate finally, the two boys linger their next to each other for a moment before leaning back, noses barely touching, taking in the sight of each other. Yunho looks a bit unsure, eyes watery. “Hyung, should we...”

“We don’t need to think about it, pup.” Seonghwa says, voice warm with affection. “We don’t need to think about it...” 

Yunho is tearing up, a lone droplet falling down his cheek. Seonghwa brings them together again, hands on the taller boy’s shoulders so he can kiss every one of them away, swiping a thumb over the moisture before letting his lips touch every inch of Yunho’s soft cheeks. The pup sniffles, giggling a bit through the tears.

“What... what are we doing..?” Yunho laughs, voice shaky. 

“I don’t know...” Seonghwa responds honestly.

He can’t seem to let go of Yunho, can’t seem to want to either. Time is still and... all the noise around them disappears completely. Seonghwa is holding on to Yunho for dear life. He won’t lose him, he won’t back away. Not this time. Not when Yunho somehow, finally seemed to feel the exact same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive always had this clear image of Yunho taking Seonghwa up to a rooftop for a romantic dinner against the city skyline and then dancing to fly me to the moon by frank sinatra (or just youngk’s cover cause stan day6) so you could imagine that song playing i guess
> 
> don’t know if it’s obvious already but this fic is def going to be longer than i anticipated... we still have a ways to go
> 
> like i have said, things will get better before they get worse... stay tuned
> 
> thank you all for reading <3


	16. Shine Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter sixteen!! again, not a clear idea of when this will end, hoping i can wrap it up in another 30k or so... but who knows
> 
> apologies for the late chapter, loves! things happen and i’m sleeping in more and more these days so the update schedule is getting a bit tilted. hope it’s not too big of an issue!
> 
> hope you all enjoy! lots of feels in this chapter! <3

_Yunho is eight years old and his face hurts from crying. His arms are bruised from stumbling, knees scraped from tripping. He misses his eomma, his appa. He misses his bed, and his superhero cape and mask, and cookies. Those are the only things he thinks he could list off at the moment._

_The clouds are so big and scary, and the thunder and lightening makes him want to cry and hide. So he hides._

“Hey are you hurt?” 

_It’s a boy, he’s got little pointy black ears and his hair looks so shiny. His eyes look like they might hold a thousand stars in them with how sparkly they are. Yunho thinks the boy is so pretty, why is he around Yunho then, if he could be friends with people as pretty as him?_

_It’s been months later and Yunho still sees a thousand stars in Seonghwa’s eyes. He likes when the older boy purrs, he likes his smooth skin, his jet-black hair, little ears, fluffy soft tail. He likes the way Seonghwa’s voice breaks a bit when he laughs, he likes when Seonghwa smiles wide when no one else is looking, he likes when Seonghwa grooms him. He likes falling asleep right next to Seonghwa._

_Yunho is only eight years old and he’s never thought once about what it means to love anything really. But he figures if he did, he might love Seonghwa._

_______

“I’m fucking free!” Wooyoung screamed the moment he burst out the doors of the highschool, friend group trailing after him. “Im gonna be a cool college kid now! Yay for debt and all nighters and dumb frat parties I won’t be invited to!” The curly tailed pup continues to chant, doing a little dance in the parking lot. Mingi giggles and joins Wooyoung, much to his date, Hwanwoong’s delight.

Yunho can see Seonghwa roll his eyes at the dog hybrid, though he was clearly amused by his relieved outburst. “You’ll terrorize my life full-throttle once again, Woo... can’t say I missed it.”

“Well it doesn’t matter if you missed it I’m still gonna be your worst nightmare, Hyung.” Wooyoung shoots back, grinning cheekily.

“If only I’d been an omega, Woo then we could room together at the dorms! We could join Mingi and Yeosang...” Yunho trails off. 

“Yunho I swear on my fucking life I will get us that dorm room together if it’s the last thing I ever do.” The curly tailed pup promises.

“You’ll get kicked out immediately, Woo.” Mingi laughs, holding hands with Hwanwoong as the three couples walked down the street from the school, towards the center of town.

“Not if they can’t catch me first!” Wooyoung retorts back.

Seonghwa rolls his eyes affectionately. “I don’t think that’s how it works, Wooyoung...”

The pup continues to go on a long rant, PowerPoint presentation style about how he’ll get the higher-ups at their academy to give in to his ‘flawless argument’, how him and Yunho would be watching dumb dramas late into the night in no time. Honestly if there was anyone who could possibly convince them, Yunho figured Wooyoung was the one. Wether he would get kicked out of their office before he had a chance to speak, the pup didn’t know.

Yunho wasn’t even paying attention to half of the conversation, suit jacket flung over his shoulder and a hand in his pocket, his mind still seemed to be stuck back a few hours ago, when it was just him and Seonghwa, and the gentle tune of the music coming from the window below. When the world had seemed so little.

When Seonghwa had kissed him... Yunho felt like a million thoughts in his mind, a million tugs of his heart, a million butterflies in his stomach, had all bloomed into one, whole flower in his chest in that moment, like everything in his life had come to fruition finally in this one moment. And it kind of had in a way. 

Yunho loved the way Seonghwa’s lips felt against his, loved the feeling of being close to him in that way, the cat hybrid’s heartbeat going up and down so near. But what he had loved the most was the explosion of feelings that lay under the surface of that simple kiss, the sheer electricity that shot through his system when he realized that... this wasn’t supposed to feel this good, but it did. That’s was the problem.

His feelings for Seonghwa... Yunho had always labeled them as platonic, or otherwise influenced by hormones outside of his control. But now... Seonghwa had kissed him so sweetly like Yunho had been... had been the only other person in the whole world, the only thing to hold on to. That has to mean... something. Anything. 

And then Wooyoung’s resounding scream _“where are those two idiots I swear to fucking-“_ began to echo from out of the ballroom below them, Seonghwa had rushed him and Yunho back downstairs without another word, or kiss. And Yunho was still processing the fact that he must have liked Seonghwa in that way for... he doesn’t know how long, that he might have been... lying? Was that the right word? To himself for half of his life.

“We should hurry up.” Seonghwa says in the present, breaking Yunho’s thoughts up. “A lot of the stalls close soon.”

“You’ve got that right... I need to get something dumb for Yeo since he’s not here. Mingi, Hwanwoong, you with me?”

“Get one of those hentai posters we saw last week then you can hang it up in your dorm!” Hwanwoong suggests to Mingi enthusiastically. The other wolf hybrid giggles and pulls the shorter close. 

“You’re so fucking weird...” Mingi says back. The two of them walk ahead, chatting amongst each other animatedly while Woobin were figuring out the directions to the fair from here, pointing in two directions at once and then yelling jokingly at each other. Yunho didn’t know how or why it was possible, but somehow he felt like him and Seonghwa were being fifth-wheeled at the same time by the two couples.

“They’re cute together.” Seonghwa says lowly to Yunho, swiveling his ears towards Mingi and Hwanwoong. 

Mingi has an arm drawn around the small boy, swaying back and forth happily. Yunho was grateful that Mingi’s affections for himself had only been a fleeting crush and not something more serious. He hoped all of the young omega boys and girls who had confessed to him had only been infatuated with him and never something more, because looking back on it he knew confidently that he would have never returned those feelings, not a chance.

“Hwanwoong was throwing his ass the entire time at the dance, it was honestly kind of iconic.” Yunho whispers to his best friend, who laughs.

“Mingi’s got a type you might say...” Seonghwa teases, to which Yunho gives the cat hybrid a skeptical look. 

“I don’t throw my ass back _that_ much, Hyung...” Yunho whines, butting his head into the older boys, leaning back again but keeping the closeness. 

“If I had your ass then I’d be throwing it back on the daily, pup! It’s understandable.” Seonghwa looks behind them, presumably to sneak a peek at the pup’s behind. Yunho yelps with embarrassment and feels his ears burning bright red, though he’s sure Seonghwa couldn’t see them in this lighting.

Yeosang wasn’t with them right now, wasn’t going to the Ferris wheel at the street fair with them. Apparently Seonghwa had said their fox friend had needed some ‘special alone time’ with his boy-toy and couldn’t make it. “Yeosang had him pinned against a bathroom stall and I won’t go into more detail.” The cat hybrid had said.

Regardless of witnessing that, Seonghwa had been so proud of Yeosang for... finally figuring things out with Jongho. Apparently they’d talked about it before, and their relationship had been pretty messy. Yunho can remember Yeosang saying him and Jongho weren’t talking awhile back in his and Mingi’s dorm. Rut troubles, Seonghwa had said. Yunho figures they must not be that far off from... where Seonghwa and Yunho were right now.

That still felt strange to say to himself, to be able to look at Seonghwa with that new lens, and then realize that it’s not a new lens but his brain has been telling him it’s a new lens because he’s confused and doesn’t know what’s going on exactly. _I like Seonghwa_. Sounded innocent enough but with the context of their... entire friendship, the situation at hand, it seemed like an outdated statement he’s making to himself. 

“I like you.” Yunho blurts out, not knowing what else to say in this trying time. Fuck. That was stupid... maybe Seonghwa didn’t want a relationship with Yunho, maybe that was why he was brushing everything under the rug by not talking about it.

Seonghwa’s ears perk up and he smiles playfully back up at the golden haired boy. “I like you too, Yunho.” No one ahead of them can hear with the background city noises, but Yunho still feels a bit self-conscious when Seonghwa returns his awkward sort of confession. But at the same time, the cat hybrid isn’t treating it like a confession... have they been dating this whole time and Yunho’s dumb? But then why was Seonghwa saying those things when they kissed, about not needing to talk about it and all that... was he overthinking the situation? 

Regardless, Seonghwa took up Yunho’s hand in his and swung it back and forth between them, nestled in their shadows so no one walking past would notice. 

The Ferris wheel is near the center of town, put up in the middle of the park along with a fair hosting many different stalls selling unique items. Many of the stalls are closing up since it’s getting pretty late but Yunho still manages to buy Seonghwa a little golden rose pendant he clips onto the cat hybrid’s shirt pocket.

“Does this mean I have to buy you something peach related, pup?” Seonghwa asks. 

“You don’t need to...

They end up buying a slice of peach cake from a baking vendor nearby, sharing the dessert while sitting on a park bench, watching the people pass by in crowds, awing at every stall and rushing to get on the Ferris wheel. Yunho briefly wonders how many of those people would do a double take and make faces at Yunho and Seonghwa if he were to give the cat hybrid an innocent kiss on the cheek.

Wooyoung and Changbin had ran off to win as many prizes as possible, while Mingi and Hwanwoong were busy picking out, as the smaller wolf hybrid had suggested, a hentai poster. It was just him and Seonghwa for awhile now until Wooyoung got bored and would try to drag Seonghwa onto the “Incinerator”. Yunho thinks his best friend would rather die then be caught on that thing.

There were so many unanswered questions he’s sure must be floating in Seonghwa’s mind as well. Like, what were they going to do about the cat hybrid’s parents? Would Yunho’s eomma even be supportive of them? How would they tell the people around them... would they tell anyone at all? Fuck- were him and Seonghwa even going to try and pursue a relationship like that together? How could they even try? Fuck, how would Yunho ever wrap his head around the fact that he _likes Seonghwa_?

All Seonghwa does in return to Yunho’s silent worries was take a bit of the cake with his clear plastic fork and hold it up to the pup’s mouth encouragingly, eyes big. Yunho opens his mouth up and takes the bite off of the older boy’s fork, holding Seonghwa’s hand in his as he did. The cat hybrid giggles and swipes a bit of whipped cream off the corner of the pup’s mouth.

“Wish I could lick it off...” Seonghwa mutters, making Yunho go red and shove him playfully, mouth still full of cake.

That’s when an elderly dog couple walking by mutters a “freaks... what are they teaching children these days...” in their direction and Seonghwa takes his hand away from Yunho’s slowly. No more cake for the night.

“ _There_ you guys are!” Wooyoung exclaims as him and Changbin rush up to them, the latter carrying a giant pink teddy bear on his back. 

“You guys won that?!” Yunho says in disbelief when they both pause in front of the pair. 

“If Changbin says he won it for us he’s lying.” Wooyoung teases the other dog hybrid, who rolls his eyes and tosses the bear over to Wooyoung. The pup staggers a bit to try and support the weight of the giant bear. “You play dirty!” He yaps.

Changbin giggles at his boyfriend’s struggle, turning back towards Seonghwa and Yunho. “Anyways we were gonna go on the Ferris wheel... You two wanna tag along?”

Yunho gives Seonghwa a questioning look, he knows the cat hybrid is cautious about fair rides, and Seonghwa just shrugs and get up off the bench, throwing the rest of the cake in the trash next to the bench and keeping close to Yunho as they made their way through the crowd towards the Ferris wheel at the center of the fair.

Yunho can feel the cat hybrid’s scent changing next to him, his nerves up and active, tail slightly puffed. He whispers to Seonghwa. “You nervous?”

“What?! Of course not, pup it’s just a giant wheel!” Seonghwa says back. Yunho knows he’s lying, but doesn’t try to prod anymore.

The Ferris wheel is on the taller side, stretching out above most of the surrounding smaller buildings so there must be a pretty good view from the top. Wooyoung and Changbin hurry into the passenger car in front of them, the wheel moves slightly and then it’s Yunho and Seonghwa’s turn.

Once Seonghwa and Yunho are in the passenger car and the door clicks shut, the entire compartment tilts as they’re lifted higher and higher into the sky, stopping partway up the wheel. Yunho looks at Seonghwa across from him, the cat hybrid’s black hair reflecting all the colors from the bright lights going up the wheel. His legs are crossed one over the other and he’s looking outside at the heightened view. 

“I’ve never been on a Ferris wheel before..” Seonghwa says suddenly, meeting yunho’s gaze. The pup shrugs.

“Nothing that special about it... I can just reminder liking the view as a kid. Now that I’m older it’s just kind of... a big bright wheel.” Yunho laughs. He enjoys the view for a few minutes, Seonghwa sitting across from him and getting more and more antsy every inch they move up. By the time they’re at the top of the wheel, overlooking the whole town, the cat hybrid is tapping his foot on the ground like he’s counting the seconds until they’re back down.

“Are you okay Hyung?” Yunho asks with a hint of humor in his voice. He knew Seonghwa was afraid of rollercoasters but he hadn’t expected the older boy to be afraid of a Ferris wheel.

Seonghwa nods. “I don’t like how high up we are...” He admits, glancing once again at the ground before looking away in fear.

“Don’t look down then...” Yunho reaches his hand up to touch Seonghwa’s cheek gently and direct his gaze back up to him. “Just look at me.” He didn’t mean for it to be flirtatious but the cat hybrid just giggles back.

“Yeah? Would you like that, if I just looked at you?” He purrs playfully, giving the pup a mischievous look, eyes glinting. He’s never been... like this. So flirtatious and teasing... Yunho would love it if he weren’t so anxious.

“I mean... I-“ Yunho says, taken off guard by Seonghwa’s sudden flirtation. It seemed... strange to be acting like nothing had just happened at all, like they were just continuing on as usual. What better time to talk than now, with no one around them, no one walking past to judge them. “Hyung... can we talk? About.. about the kiss I mean.” Fuck. Should he have been more specific about it? Yunho didn’t want to pressure Seonghwa into talking about something if it would make him uncomfortable.

“What’s there to talk about?” Seonghwa sounds like he’s in a trance.

Yunho whines at the older boy, ears drooping. Did Seonghwa really want to pretend nothing had happened? Or just brush over things like they didn’t matter? Yunho figures he might have had more time to process these feelings than he had but... he still needed to make things clear with Seonghwa. “Everything... absolutely everything, Hyung.”

Seonghwa seems to realize then and there that he can’t keep on pretending... he can’t just skip the explanations, the conversations that needed to happen, that Yunho needed. His eyes go sad for a second and Yunho suddenly feels bad. Should he pressure Seonghwa into explaining everything to him? Was that was what he was doing? Yunho tried talking again. “I... I don’t know what’s going on, Hyung. I don’t know what you want, what you feel, I know even less of what I feel! We need to talk...”

Seonghwa straightens up and leans back against the metal of the passenger car, curling his fluffy tail around himself. “I’m sorry, pup...” He finally says. “It’s just hard... I’ve been imagining this sort of thing happening in my head for so... so long now. I never thought it would actually... happen.”

“When... when did you know?” Yunho asks Seonghwa softly, voice barely heard even with the silence of the compartment.

“When I was maybe twelve is when it started... but...” Seonghwa hesitates, voice trailing off. Yunho squeezes his shoulder, looking down and burying his nose in the cat hybrid’s dark hair. 

“But...?” 

“But... I didn’t realize what it was really, I had ignored those feelings... until that night last year.” Seonghwa continues. “When I ran away.”

Wait. Ran away? Yunho’s mouth opens to form an o as he realizes that... fuck... and he had thought it had been _him_. Well technically it had been him but... not in the way Yunho had thought. Seonghwa wasn’t freaked out because of Yunho being touchy with him... he never had been.

“I was afraid of what... of what my feelings might do to our friendship.” Seonghwa says softly. “Of what that might mean... for you. For our places in society...” Yunho can see his best friend beginning to tear up, eyes going glossy. “And then when you blamed yourself for it... I just...”

“Hey...” Yunho never wanted to upset Seonghwa like this... He gets up and moves over to his side of the compartment, holding the smaller boy close. Yunho thinks if he were a cat hybrid he would always be purring, to try and calm Seonghwa down, make him feel better. Seonghwa’s purring sure worked on Yunho. “You’re okay, we’re here now. We’re together.”

Seonghwa sniffles, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand. “It’s okay, puppy...” He says, voice a bit shaky. “You can ask me more questions, Yunho I don’t mind...” Yunho nods. He should take up this opportunity, since his mind is basically just questions at the moment. For both himself and Seonghwa.

“And you went to Yeosang...” Yunho continues for him.

Seonghwa sniffs one last time, wiping a tear from his face and smiling. “He found me bawling my eyes out in the back of the theater room how couldn’t I tell him?” The cat hybrid laughs. “He knows. That I like you, at least back then.” Seonghwa cuddles up into Yunho, resting his head on the pup’s shoulder and curling his tail around to twine with Yunho’s. The pup loves the feeling, it’s like they’re holding hands except it feels somehow more intimate.

“Does anyone else know?” Yunho asks.

Seonghwa’s face goes frozen for a split second before glancing away like he’s considering his words. “I... Hongjoong. Hongjoong knows.”

“What?” It made sense... him and the other feline hybrid had gotten pretty close in the recent months. It was still surprising nonetheless. “Was it... and he supported you?”

“He did... both him and Yeosang were always supportive... but I kept on trying to get rid of it until you presented and I just couldn’t ignore my feelings anymore.” Seonghwa says. “Hongjoong was a distraction, at one point... then he was like a venting buddy. We had a lot of late night talks..” Seonghwa smiles, probably remembering his times with the tabby boy and Yunho can feel that familiar, odd feeling in his stomach, which growls loudly right then and there. Seonghwa snorts, looking up at Yunho amusedly.

“Are you jealous, pup?” Seonghwa laughs. 

“I... I don’t know...” Yunho mutters. Hadn’t he always written those stupid stomach aches off as hormones and alpha shit? Fuck there was a lot to unpack here... he was up for a long night of reestablishing his brain to coincide with his heart. “I- I used to think they were just hormones... but now...”

“Wait...” Seonghwa purrs playfully, pushing further. “Have you always been jealous of Hongjoong?” Yunho doesn’t answer, just feels himself blushing more and more, ears burning, which Seonghwa also giggles at, nudging his ear with his nose affectionately. “Oh, puppy... you don’t worry, Yunho... I only have eyes for you, always have..” 

Seonghwa kisses Yunho’s neck after that, soft lips gracing his skin for just a moment but that spot is still blooming with nerves and excitement from the touch after the kiss is gone. Yunho smiles wider, feeling loved as Seonghwa purrs next to him reassuringly. He hasn’t known before how much... how much he craved this, even outside of ruts. How much he needed this, to be intimate with Seonghwa in this way, only the two of them, no one else.

“Did you tell anyone?” Seonghwa asks, pressing another kiss into Yunho’s neck, right where his scent glands are. The pup shivers underneath the feeling of the older boy’s lips there, where his skin was so so sensitive. 

“I didn’t even realize myself.” Yunho answers truthfully. He really hadn’t until... until the truth was right on top of him, staring him in the eyes, gazing into his soul, kissing him so softly and with so much care and affection that he couldn’t even comprehend... _still_ couldn’t comprehend... the idea that he’d been living in subconscious denial about who he was, what him and Seonghwa were, for all the time they’d been friends. “I didn’t even figure it out... until just a few hours ago... when... when we...” 

“When we did this?” Seonghwa whispers oh so tenderly, and the cat hybrid gently coaxes Yunho into another kiss, holding his cheeks with both hands and pressing their lips together. Yunho blinks hazily before allowing Seonghwa to move against him, finding his hands on the older boy’s small waist, cinched together by his belt, subconsciously moving him closer. 

Seonghwa purrs, smiling against Yunho’s lips and deepens the kiss further, tongue swiping over his own lips before touching at the dog hybrid’s, the touch sending Yunho’s mind brain dead. Him and Seonghwa had never... never done this kind of thing before. Yunho had been clueless and driven by instinct every time they had done anything of the sort. Now it was just him, Seonghwa, and the slight creak of metal as the passenger car edged down the wheel slightly.

“You okay with this?” Seonghwa asks as Yunho stiffens up. It’s a useless question. He’s done... far more things a lot more outrageous than just... kissing Seonghwa before. But this was somehow more terrifying than all of those moments combined.

“More than okay...” Yunho murmurs, returning Seonghwa’s silent request to deepen the kiss. The dog hybrid begins prodding at his best friend’s lips gently with his tongue, getting familiar with the skin there. Seonghwa pokes his own tongue out again, meeting in the middle, and  
Yunho begins to feel more and more full, more complete as Seonghwa laps into his mouth, tongues tangling together lazily, lips coming together and then drifting apart and then coming together again in a sort of rhythm Yunho is sure he’d never get enough of.

Because fuck... Seonghwa was _his_ , he was the most beautiful and perfect soul Yunho and ever met and he was _his_ , even for just this moment.

But when Seonghwa lets out a lewd little moan, breathing harshly into Yunho’s mouth, the dog hybrid separates from him, looking back at the cat hybrid so flustered. “We... we probably shouldn’t...” Yunho pauses when he looks back at the older boy.

Seonghwa is looking at him with so much... affection, love and lust... fuck... They needed to get off this Ferris wheel and find somewhere to be completely alone or he wasn’t sure he’d be able to control his... curiosity? That must be the right word. Yunho didn’t know what it was like to be with Seonghwa in... in that way not under the influence of his rut. Not under the influence of his density.

“Just... one more time?” Seonghwa asks, and who was Yunho to deny him of well, anything at all?

Yunho and Seonghwa kiss one more time, tongues sliding against each other so deliciously, and when they part, their lips are wet from shared saliva, Seonghwa’s tongue still peeking cutely out of his mouth like it would when he was done grooming him. Yunho smiles and head butts his Hyung’s shoulder, breathing in the scent near the cat hybrid’s neck. Seonghwa wraps an arm around him and hums contentedly. Yunho wishes this ride would never end.

“Imagine fucking on a Ferris wheel...” Seonghwa remarks as they move down closer to the ground, making Yunho double over and let out an embarrassed laugh.

“Hyung! What the fuck... we wouldn’t do that!”

“Okay maybe we wouldn’t but Wooyoung and Changbin? Something tells me they’ve fucked in public before.” Seonghwa laughs back, patting Yunho’s shoulder as the pup lets out another pained snort.

“I mean... I- you’re not wrong.” Yunho says. Seonghwa giggles back, giving the pup one last fleeting peck on the cheek before the passenger car lowers down completely to a halt and the door opens, exposing the two to the judgmental eyes of the world once again. Yunho misses Seonghwa’s touch immediately after its gone.

When they step foot outside of the passenger car Yunho feels like he’d been in another dimension and the compartment was like... a time machine or a black hole or something. Like time had gone so slowly... or was it quickly? It seemed like both. Things were confusing when he recovered from just being around Seonghwa... the cat hybrid made everything jumbled become so simple and clear again in Yunho’s mind. He grounded him in that way.

Wooyoung and Changbin were waiting for them a few feet away from the ride, banding together and crowding around the couple and Yunho feels like he’s been awakened from a very very nice dream. Expect it hadn’t been a dream and him and Seonghwa had _actually_ done that and now they had to walk through the entire night pretending nothing was up around their friends.

“I think we’re gonna two out for the evening... We’re feeling tired, right Yunho?” Seonghwa winks at the pup, indicating that he wasn’t actually tired, but that he wanted some alone time. Yunho gladly went along.

“Yeah I’m tired too... we need to go on like, a beach trip or something this summer though.” He suggested, watching Wooyoung’s face light up.

“Yes?! Oh my fucking- okay Yunho you and me we need to plan this out like, tomorrow.” He shakes Changbin next to him who looks thoroughly exhausted, leaning against the curly-tailed pup. 

Seonghwa is already dragging Yunho away but he calls back to Wooyoung. “I’ll text you!” And the pup gives him a thumbs up.

Yunho directs his attention back to Seonghwa, who’s tail is puffed up like he’s upset but the cat hybrid only looks excited, marching down the street with purpose. “Uh Hyung? Where are we going?”

“I want you.” Seonghwa smiles back at Yunho with anticipation in his voice. “Right now. We’re going to your house.”

That couldn’t happen. Yunho had told his eomma earlier in the day he’d stay over at Mingi and Yeosang’s after prom so she could have a night to herself... invite over a few of her friends and trade recipes or watch a drama or two. Girls night, or whatever she called it. “My eomma has company, Hyung we cant do that.... maybe we could rent a hotel or something?” He suggests. He would pay of course... wait what did Seonghwa want to do that required alone time anyhow. 

“No.” Seonghwa says stubbornly, and Yunho is about to protest before the cat hybrid continues. “We’re going to my house.”

“What?!” Yunho lets himself be dragged down the street despite his shock. Seonghwa’s house had always been no-go territory for Yunho or actually any one of the cat hybrid’s friends besides... _maybe_ Hongjoong. But just maybe. And while Seonghwa practically lived part-time at Yunho’s, the pup had never set foot once in his best friends house.

“My parents are at one of their stupid club meetings again, pup. They always stay at one of those fancy hotels after to get away from me. Did it since I was a kitten.” Seonghwa says offhandedly, continuing to march down the street while still holding Yunho’s hand tightly.

Yunho whines curiously. “That’s sad... why do they do that?”

Seonghwa laughs. “Because they think I don’t know they fuck. It’s weird I know... privileged people shit I guess.” 

“Hyung you...” Yunho says nervously as Seonghwa hails a cab for them, leading Yunho into the car and giving the driver directions to his house. “Hyung you’ve never... you've never taken me over to your house before.”

Seonghwa smiles widely, eyes lit up with adoration. “Let’s just say I’m feeling bold tonight.”

Yunho leans down and butts his head into the older boy’s shoulder, whining slightly. “Hyung...”

“Aw what is it, puppy...” 

“What if your parents are there? They could like... flay me or something if they notice even one hint of ‘dog smell’ in your house.” 

“But they _won’t_ be there, that’s the point.” Seonghwa doesn’t get too close to him in case the cab driver sees them in the mirror. “Besides I want to show you my room and everything for the first time...” Seonghwa gives him those big, watery kitten eyes and Yunho can’t argue anymore. He felt anxious the entire drive there though.

The cab drops them off in front of Seonghwa’s familiar tall, two story house painted gray and white with one single shade of white roses decorating the mulch in the front lawn. Seonghwa turns the key with a small click and the door is open, Yunho getting a strong scent of that familiar rose petal fragrance wafting out of the room. Fuck... Yunho didn’t know if he’d be able to get though the whole house without getting distracted by all the Seonghwa scent. It was intoxicating.

“Cmon, Yunho!” Seonghwa takes up the pup’s hand in his and skips through the house, which looks like something of a glorified museum, with the monotone styling. It didn’t fit Seonghwa’s personality what so ever, but even then the smell of roses got stronger and storage the further they went down the hall.

Seonghwa pauses in front of one of the rooms and turns around, placing a hand on Yunho’s chest to back him up, so he can face him head-on. “Are you okay with this?”

Yunho looks taken aback. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You seemed confused and unsure back there... I just wanted to check before we do... anything you may regret.” Seonghwa says back simply.

Yunho can’t comprehend that idea. “Hyung every moment spent with you... I could never regret.” It’s cheesy, it’s sappy and fluffy and Yunho would laugh at the line of he ever heard it in a drama but in this context, it’s nothing but the truth. “Every one of those painful moments has led us to now... and right now belongs to us.” He continues. “Not your parents, not society, no one else but us. I finally get to have you.”

Seonghwa looks at him with shock, not expecting that sort of answer. He immediately pulls Yunho into a heated kiss, lapping at the dog hybrid’s lips until he let the older boy in, tasting Seonghwa’s hot tongue in his mouth and letting himself be led into the car hybrid’s room. The entire room smells of roses and cool water, bringing Yunho to a high he never thought he could experience. He wanted Seonghwa, all of him, every inch of him, so truly, so unashamedly.

Seonghwa works to get his shirt off, tossing it onto his dresser and slipping his pants and underwear down in one go and Yunho blinks to get used to the image before him, Seonghwa’s tanned bare skin fully on display for the dog hybrid to worship all night, and for the rest of their time together. 

Seonghwa’s waist was small and has little crease marks from where he’s cinched a belt around his waist, Yunho has always loved the way his skin feels right there. Seonghwa’s cock is already slightly hard further down, his brown nipples are perky with the sensation of Yunho’s shirt dragging against them, so close he could hear the cat hybrid’s heartbeat. His tail curls around to slightly cover the older boy’s nether regions. Most importantly he can see shining against Seonghwa’s skin the little ribbon tied neatly around his wrist, snug so he couldn’t take it off, always binding them together in a way. Yunho’s was more hastily tied, a bit more tampered from his more active dancer’s lifestyle but it still shined satin to match Seonghwa’s.

Yunho can’t seem to stop looking over the cat hybrid’s form because... well he was truly the most beautiful thing he had laid eyes on.

“You?” Seonghwa purrs, hooking his fingers under Yunho’s white dress shirt, asking gently. Yunho just nods, words not coming to him at the moment and Seonghwa unbuttons the shirt one by one, revealing more and more of the taller boy’s chest, pec muscles, soft pink nipples and the smooth lines on his stomach. Yunho catches sight of both of them in the full length mirror and thinks they look perfect together. Yunho’s floppy golden ears and soft blonde hair contrasting so sweetly with Seonghwa’s pointy ears and shiny black hair. 

Seonghwa backs Yunho up until he’s laid back against the bed, hands still gripping Seonghwa’s waist. Seonghwa is looking at him like... likes he’s the only person in the world, like he must be the most beautiful thing in the room. Yunho relishes the attention.

“Tell me what you want, pup.” Seonghwa says steadily, eyes insistent and gentle. The cat hybrid’s fluffy tail is flicking to the side left and right.

“I want... I want to be with you.” Yunho sounds so desperate and willing, exactly like he did during his ruts, and Yunho wonders if he was even even been delusional at all. Maybe the pup had never been blinded by arousal, never seen Seonghwa as just an object he was infatuated with. There was much, _much_ too much to unpack in one night. Luckily, at the moment at least, it seemed like they had all the time in the world to unlearn and relearn the way they’ve seen each other.

Seonghwa smiles back down at him. “I want you too, Yunho.”

With that, Seonghwa lapped into his mouth hungrily, his sweet moans and purrs felt like they were reverberating through Yunho’s soul... the cat hybrid was just so, _so_ much, every plane of his skin, the supple curves here, smooth flesh there... Yunho felt he had never been able to appreciate it fully before, during his ruts, like they had been rushing trough the steps then, not stopping to think. Maybe it was also because this was the first time doing this while Yunho was fully sane.

Seonghwa finds himself on top of Yunho like he so often did, on all fours, hands by the taller boy’s head. Yunho licked his lips and blinked softly up at Seonghwa, who’s face changes to one of need, of lust and attraction. 

Yunho smiles slightly up at his best friend. “You can have me... all of me.”

Yunho begins to reach his hands around, aiming to find them at Seonghwa’s pert little ass but stops midway as the cat hybrid has halted him.

“Actually i was wondering...” Seonghwa says, regaining his composure and sitting up on his knees. “Do... do you want to try something different, pup?”

Yunho’s ears perk up. Now that he thought of it, he didn’t really care what they did as long as it was with Seonghwa, as long as they were together. He’d love to pound up into the cat hybrid right now from here but if Seonghwa wanted to try a new position or something then Yunho was all ears. “Sure... what do you want to do?”

Seonghwa looked away from Yunho a second, moving to the edge of the bed and reaching down until he found a clear blue bottle from under the bed, holding it nervously. “Have you ever tried penetration?”

Yunho was immediately flustered, taken aback by the older boy’s suggestion. He had never once thought to... to finger himself or do anything like that, maybe because of fear before, and maybe after his rut because of the need to fit in to the norms. Alphas typically... didn’t do that kind of thing. That was left up to the omegas and betas to... lay back and take it. Sad but true. He shakes his head.

“Are you open to it?” Seonghwa looks hopeful, but he obviously doesn’t want to pressure the pup into doing something he isn’t comfortable with. “I mean I’m not really into using my dick for anything at all but if you want to try some simple stuff...”

Okay... Seonghwa didn’t want to fuck him. He just wanted to.. play with him in that way. Yunho would be lying if he said he wasn’t scared but... he definitely wasn’t opposed to the idea, and the more it lingers in his brain the more curious he becomes. The pup nods his head again. “I’d like that... I think.”

Seonghwa looks positively giddy at that, arching his back over Yunho to give him a kiss on the forehead in reassurance. “I’ll take good care of you, puppy..” 

The fear resumes it hold when Seonghwa begins to prop up Yunho’s bottom half on a pillow he push his thighs back towards his body, exposing him for Seonghwa to do what he wanted, having full control. Yunho knows ideally the alpha in him should be revved up and ready to flip them over and claim Seonghwa as his the way he’s always wanted but... his alpha seems to be reduced at the moment, almost liking the idea of passing control over to Seonghwa for once.

The intrusion is unfamiliar, Seonghwa inserting a slender finger cool with lubricant to circle his rim before pushing past. Yunho immediately feels himself tensing up but Seonghwa just rubs his thigh with one hand and purrs against his skin to calm the dog hybrid down, tutting and whispering soft sweet words of encouragement into his skin.

Yunho is tight around Seonghwa’s fingers, very much so, and there’s an obvious difference between the way his ass is reacting to this and the way Seonghwa’s did.... maybe it was just because Seonghwa was more used to it but there had to be some biological stuff in there too, like how the older boy’s prostate was so easy to find. It wasn’t quite painful really once he began to relax more, just a bit uncomfy and very conflicting.

Seonghwa prodded around inside the younger boy, rubbing his thigh comfortingly and taking seconds between stretching and staying still when Yunho would squeeze his hand tighter or grimace from the unfamiliar digits inside him.

“Your prostate is so tricky to find, puppy... I’ll have to search for it.” Seonghwa says while biting his lip in 

Yunho can feel his cock, heavy on his stomach begin to soften up a bit as the feeling edged into a warm pleasant stretch when Seonghwa brushes his fingertips against a spot that makes Yunho cry out loud, muscles spasming and shots of arousal moving back up through his body. Seonghwa touches that little spot again and Yunho can feel himself arch up against the mattress.

“That feel good?” Seonghwa purrs amusedly as Yunho begins to spread his thighs unconsciously like an omega in heat. A few more minutes of the prostate stimulation and Seonghwa purring soft words egging him on and Yunho is a sweaty, moaning mess at Seonghwa’s mercy, begging at this point for a release of some kind, arms wrapped around the cat hybrid’s slender form. 

More importantly, he can feel waves going through his brain, his alpha rising up and yelling at him to claim, to control but then shrinking back like an injured puppy. It’s like there’s a collar on his instincts right now, preventing them from rebelling and Seonghwa has the leash.

“Hyung... Seonghwa Hyung please... please ah...” Yunho squirms as Seonghwa quickens his pace, thrusting his fingers at rapid speed. Seonghwa seems to be just as turned on by this as Yunho is, only getting rougher with his movements. He even reaches his free hand up to twist and dab at the younger boy’s pink little buds, perking up helplessly at the touch.

“Fuck, pup... wish I could put a vibe in you and fuck myself on your cock at the same time... you’d like that, right? Like getting your little sweet spot all worked up while I ride you, huh?” Seonghwa purrs sweetly and gently even though his words were absolutely sinful. Yunho closes his eyes in bliss as Seonghwa continues to abuse his prostate. He imagines it right then and there, what it would be like to have both areas stimulated at once, Seonghwa bouncing in rhythm on top of him, using his cock for himself. He wanted that now... he wanted to watch Seonghwa come, commit the image to memory.

“Want... want Hyung to come too... want to make Hyung come...” Yunho manages to gasp out, feeling closer and closer to his release with each thrust of the older boys fingers. And then it’s gone, the intrusion inside him, and Yunho feels emptier than he thought he would like this, whining out at the loss of contact.

But then, the cat hybrid grinds foreword and ends up brushing his cock against Yunho’s, the friction absolutely mind blowing. Yunho can’t help his small, deep and breath moans from escaping his lips as Seonghwa takes both their cocks in his hand, reaching his fingers to clutch Yunho’s whole width and breathing heavily into the pup’s mouth, swiping his tongue over the younger boy’s bottom lip.

The cat hybrid is at least several inches smaller, smooth little flushed head nodding against Yunho’s thick, throbbing shaft and Yunho almost comes immediately at the sight, the size difference so prominent with them right next to each other, stirring something up inside of him. His arousal is heightened even more when Seonghwa purrs sweetly into his ear. “So big, puppy...”

Seonghwa’s hand is sliding up and down his and Yunho’s lengths with ease, but struggling to keep them together with the pup’s size, so Yunho reaches between them himself and takes up the burden himself, fingers wrapping all the way around to slide them together. Yunho smiles back at Seonghwa when the cat hybrid lets out a gasp, retracting his hand to hold himself up off Yunho, who murmurs. “So cute and little, Hyung...” back at him in return. 

“Shut up...” Seonghwa giggles between gasps, burying his face in Yunho’s broad shoulder, muffling his moans. Yunho ran his thumb over the tip of the older boy’s cock, swiping away the beads of precum gathering there, dripping down both their lengths and huffs with amusement at how much precum Seonghwa produced when he was aroused, because it was a _lot_. He wondered if it was part of his queen biology assisting in lubrication or something...

“Are you wet, Hyung?” From this angle Yunho can’t reach back to touch for himself. He ceases his strokes a bit, allowing Seonghwa a break. 

“I- I am...” Seonghwa breathes out, voice struggling to keep composure. 

“Come, please come, Hyung... wanna see you come...” And as if on command, Seonghwa spurts into his hand, coving Yunho’s palm and fingers with his sticky release, moaning and mewling into Yunho’s shoulder as he did, desperately thrusting up to get the last of his orgasm out of his system. Yunho can feel the familiar feeling of his orgasm peaking so soon after, cock twitching up against Seonghwa’s softening little shaft as he fucks up against the older boy, releasing also into Yunho’s hand so their come must be mixing together. He gasps as he finishes, laying back against the bed and watching as Seonghwa collapsed on the other side fo the bed as well.

“That was... that was... fuck.” Seonghwa gasps out finally, naked form still heaving.

Yunho nods. “Fuck indeed...” He remarks, still blitzed from having Seonghwa fingerfuck him for the first time. “You’re... you’re really good at that... the butt stuff I mean.” Seonghwa giggles at Yunho’s choice of words. “I get a lot of practice.” He pats his own ass from the side. Yunho laughs back but then let’s his brain wander and imagine if he could... watch Seonghwa touch himself in that way, or get a dildo and use it in front of him... they had too much shit to cross off the bucket list. Yunho holds his hand covered in cum up to his face and began wondering... he had licked up Seonghwa’s cum many times before if he’s remembering correctly.. he wonders what their combined come might taste like.

Yunho laps up a bit of the cum to find Seonghwa’s tastes... almost sweet. The rose petal scent is so strong coming from it. On the other hand, his own cum tastes slightly salty, not a good taste whatsoever. He wonders why that is. 

“Gross...” Seonghwa purrs affectionately, the jab meant as a tease. Yunho rolls his eyes.

“Oh shush, I’ve done it before...” 

“Doesn’t mean it’s not gross, puppy.” Seonghwa points out.

“You don’t like it when I lick you clean?” Yunho retorts back. Seonghwa just giggles and grabs a tissue box from the nightstand, urging Yunho to clean off his hands himself.

After they’re done cleaning, a small pile of used tissues now on the nightstand next to them, Seonghwa sighs and leans back again, touching Yunho’s shoulder gently with his own. Yunho thinks that from this angle, he looks like he might be glowing with arousal, with all the love Yunho must have inflicted upon him. He looks like an angel, a glowing god in Yunho’s presence, and the pup is more than willing to worship him. The rose smell is all around the room, no hint of peaches and cream, thought that may be because all Yunho wants to smell is that rose scent, so strong and gentle, making him feel safe.

“You look like a... rose...” Shit. Not what he meant to say but Yunho figures Seonghwa gets what he’s trying to say.

“I look like a what?” The cat hybrid’s ear flicks. Nope. Didn’t get the idea. Yunho doesn’t know how to respond back, just wags his tail and curls up around Seonghwa, wanting to cuddle, wanting a conformation that this wasn’t all just a dreams. Seonghwa is his. His alpha feels satisfied in tandem with his rational brain, telling him to inflict a mating mark, make his claim on Seonghwa, and for Seonghwa to make his claim on him, more than he already had... He’s his to love and appreciate for as long as he could offer. But for now Yunho was far too sleepy, far too spent to try and suck one or two little blooms into Seonghwa’s skin.

“I’ve always wondered why...” Yunho says sleepily, form shuffling even closer to Seonghwa’s back, the cat hybrid’s tail slightly smushed between them.

“Why what, pup?” Seonghwa asks.

“Being with you has always... always felt so... so _right_.” Yunho finishes. And all he can remember after that is Seonghwa’s face, filled with fresh tears gazing down at him with so much emotion it must be overflowing by now.

Seonghwa leaves the room for just a moment and Seonghwa misses the older boy’s closeness the moment it’s gone.

_______

_Yunho is only eleven years old and he loves the way Seonghwa’s eyes light up when he smiles. He loves when Seonghwa giggles with his whole body, smiling wide and leaning over, holding his stomach. Most of all, he loves being close to Seonghwa so he can hear his best friends heart beat steadily right next to him, so he could always be reminded that the older boy was right there, not going anywhere._

_Yunho loves it when Seonghwa’s face goes red every time Yunho compliments him, loves the gentle giggles he would put out to try and change the subject._

_Yunho is only eleven years old and he’s beginning to wonder what it’d be like to love someone. If he did, he figures, he might love Seonghwa._

_______

Yunho is fast asleep but the time Seonghwa gets back from the bathroom, tongue hanging out of his mouth slightly and body splayed out across the mattress in a way that made Seonghwa want to draw the curtain back around them and forget the res for the world exists. He wishes every day it was possible.

Seonghwa sits down next to the pup’s sleeping form, placing a hand on Yunho’s bare chest and feeling the heartbeat there. He’d like to have a million other nights just like this, each one slightly different than the next, and then wake up each morning nestled in Yunho’s arms, knowing he had been wrong. Wrong about everything. Yunho likes him, actually _likes_ him back, had all along it seems.

Seonghwa is too tired to call himself stupid really. Him and Yunho had all the time in the world to figure this thing out, how they fit together, how they could continue to fit together.

“Goodnight, shine light.” Seonghwa lets his fingers rest on Yunho’s chest a second longer before getting back up from the bed, grabbing a shirt from the ground and slipping it over his head before retreating to the kitchen to get a glass of water. 

On his way through the hall Seonghwa giggles when he thinks of Yunho’s cute... everything back there. He should really be on top more often. They had just broken... so many rules in the social norms book but he didn’t care one bit. Not one bit anymore. Because no one was watching and no one would judge. And as long as no one was watching then both him and Yunho were safe.

Safe... he wanted to make Yunho feel safe. He wanted to make Yunho feel loved and appreciated. Fuck, he wanted to tell Yunho he loved him. But he couldn’t even begin to think of how exactly he might do that. 

They had all the time in the world to figure things out, and Seonghwa relished in that fact.

But time sped up all of a sudden the moment Seonghwa entered to main room, including the kitchen and the living room, open to each other. Time stops and Seonghwa should have known better. He should have known that this could never be as easy as he thinks.

His mamma and eomma are... sitting right there. In the living room, white light from the lamp glowing cold next to them. His eomma is bent over on the couch, face on her hands and shaking with sorrow and when Seonghwa approaches, she looks up at him with tears in her eyes, pleading at him silently that... that this might all be a dream. Seonghwa is half sure now that it is. 

But his mamma... her face is blank, completely so. Pointy white ears twitching ever so slightly, one leg crossed over the other, a hand laid on his eomma’s back in comfort. Her eyes are glassy and cold, not looking Seonghwa in the eye once. Fuck.

“Mamma, eomma I can expla-“ His mamma raises a hand to silence him, looking right through Seonghwa and back at the wall, voice icy and shaking, ever so slightly in anger.

“You’re going to go back in your room, and get that _dog_ out of our house. Now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh shit. guess there’s gonna be more drama, huh. this time it’s really yunhwa vs the world
> 
> we shall learn more about their relationship, as well as some unanswered mysteries in the next few chapters, please stay tuned!
> 
> hope you all enjoyed! thank you all once again for every kudo and every comment on this fic! the support means the world to me <3


	17. Cat vs Dog Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter seventeen is here! some important moments in both this chapter and the next!! even if our pup and kit are still separated atm :(
> 
> i hope you’re all having a wonderful day, i know things have been tough lately with some of the stuff going on in kpop rn... but hopefully this fic can serve as a break from all of that!!
> 
> hope you all enjoy! <3

_”Don't make me have to repeat myself.”_

As Seonghwa walked back down the hall, towards his front door, shut tight so as not to disturb Yunho, time seemed to go slower. His steps became sluggish, his breath became heavy and he felt somewhat as if he couldn’t breath, couldn’t think straight. 

This was his fault.

Yunho is still spread out on the bed, blankets all bunched up around him, sound asleep with his tongue poked out cutely. Seonghwa’s heart hurt with affection at the sight. He was sleeping like a baby, unaware of the world around him, peaceful, not knowing the their relationship, their friendship, their... existence together might be at stake.

It had felt like their lives were just getting started.

Yunho mumbles and rolls over, smiling to himself and burying his head into the pillow when Seonghwa taps him on the shoulder. “Mmmh....” His tail wags slightly in his sleep. He must be dreaming of good things right now... Seonghwa feels guilty for waking him from such a peaceful slumber.

“Yunho, baby...” Seonghwa whispers earnestly, voice close to breaking. Yunho shakes his head slightly.

“Mmm... Hyungie don’t wake me up.... come sleep...” Yunho reaches out a sleepy hand for Seonghwa, inviting the cat hybrid to relax in bed with him, sleep away their worries. Seonghwa can feel a lone tear roll down his cheek.

“Yunho, puppy you need to wake up... please wake up...” Seonghwa shakes the pup gently and Yunho finally blinks his eyes open, propping himself up on his elbow and squinting a bit, cheeks puffy from sleep. Seonghwa wants to squish them so badly. He figures now is most definitely not the time.

“Hyung... whats going on?” Yunho smiles at him weakly, voice calm and rough. 

Seonghwa shakes his head several times, opening his mouth but not finding the words. He finally manages to say something. “Puppy... I might not see you tomorrow.” Seonghwa whispered frantically, voice high with fear. “I might not see you in a week, I’m not sure right now...”

“Hyung... what’s... what happened?” Yunho looks so confused, eyes showing worry.

“I made a mistake.” And now it would cost him the most important person in his life. Seonghwa doesn’t finish the sentence out loud but the words he keeps internal echo throughout his soul and make him want to hit himself, hide away, whatever he could to stop the pain. None would work. “They want you out of the house.”

Yunho’s face changed from one of confusion to a truly... indescribable expression. His ears drooped and his eyes got all big and watery, cheeks already turning red with incoming tears. He seemed to understand even with Seonghwa’s unintentional vagueness. This was too soon, much too soon. “Hyung...”

Seonghwa didn’t give him a chance to finish his sentence. He leaned forward quickly and his lips met Yunho’s, tasting the sweetness there, breathing in the pup’s scent, committing it to his memory. Seonghwa kissed Yunho like it was the last kiss he’d ever give the pup, because realistically it might as well be.

“Hyung...” Yunho whimpers out between kisses, clutching the back of Seonghwa’s head to his as if to keep him there. “Hyung please what...” Yunho’s face is hot with tears now, dripping onto Seonghwa’s cheeks as well with how close the two are. Seonghwa can see the droplets gathering on the pup’s eyelashes so prettily. “What’s gonna happen?”

Seonghwa spends all the time he could gazing back at Yunho, the deep brown of his eyes, the soft flighty blonde hair all messed up right above them. “I don’t know.” He answers truthfully before promising. ”But I won’t give up on us, Yunho.” He gathers his thoughts, blurring out. “I’ll fight for us no matter what the costs are.”

“We were just...” Yunho chokes out, tears streaming down his face. “We only just got to- and now...” Yunho cries into Seonghwa’s chest, the cat hybrid smiling sadly. But they had no time left. If he didn’t hurry Yunho out now... Seonghwa is scared for what his mamma might do. To him not as much but to Yunho... he didn’t trust her not to act on impulse in this moment. He grooms a tuft of Yunho’s soft blonde hair out of his face and kisses the pup one last time before guiding him off the bed.

He would never forgive himself if he somehow managed to cause harm to his best friend on top of everything he’d just caused with his own... his own brashness.

Seonghwa grabs Yunho’s clothes from off the bed and helps him get them on, hands lingering on the pup as he did, whispering sweet little reassurances into his skin. Yunho smiled sadly at him and ruffled his shirt, adjusting the collar as they exited the room, exposed to the raw judgement of society once more, all combined with a force into the gaze of the cat hybrid’s parents.

Yunho tries to recover his tear-strewn face in the halls, rubbing his eyes with the back of his palms but his face is still red and puffy when he enters the main room, where Seonghwa’s parents are sitting. 

His eomma is staring blankly down at the floor from the couch, having composed herself after her breakdown while his mamma just sits coolly as ever, though her eyes tell a different story, shooting daggers into Yunho’s back as he walks.

But the pup doesn’t seem to be afraid of her.

“I’m sorry. To both of you.” Yunho speaks out, looking both his eomma and mamma in the eye, face still red. And if that was an impressive feat, Seonghwa watches in awe as Yunho looks deeply at both of them, the pup’s eyes truthful, and he doesn’t avert his gaze once, meeting his mamma’s burning stare with that gentle, honest smile. 

Yunho brings his gaze, even more gentle and honest, back to his best friend, and squeezes Seonghwa’s hand one last time, giving him a wide-eyed, sad smile before departing, door closing with a small thud, tail not tucked between his legs but raised tall and confident. Even if this was such an urgent situation, Seonghwa felt pride for the younger boy well up inside him at his courage.

He half feels the need to run out that door with Yunho, forget his parents ever existed, start a new life at Yunho’s house.

But Seonghwa is done running from his responsibilities, from whatever rocky, messy path fate laid out for him. This confrontation with his parents, with his mamma, has been long overdue. His mamma would go after him if he left anyways... And that’s why he stays.

Bringing his attention back to their living room, Seonghwa’s mamma doesn’t seem the slightest bit impressed by Yunho’s gentle confidence, just annoyed and still very _very_ angry. Her ears aren’t drawn back though, meaning she’s still confident. Seonghwa swears to himself if he owes anything to Yunho, to himself, then it’s to keep a cool head and speak the truth, and only the truth in this moment. And fight for the most important person in his life.

“Now then... please sit, dear.” Seonghwa cringed inwardly at the use of the word ‘dear’. It felt cruel to call him that in this moment, the affectionate name she’d called him when he was young. Seonghwa complies, finding his place in one of the armchairs opposite the couch. He crosses one leg over the other and tries sitting tall to meet the imposing figure of his mamma.

Seonghwa is the one who speaks first. “I have done nothing wrong.” His voice is unmoving, set in place.

“You are a _monster_.” His mamma’s voice is shrill. “A monster for bringing this sort of shame upon our family, upon your status as a feline, upon our society as it stands.” Her voice is cold, but underneath the surface, Seonghwa can sense real pain and heartbreak. She was really affected by this, more than she was trying to let on. Seonghwa wouldn’t let himself pity her.

“I regret none of the moments I’ve spent with Yunho over the past ten years.” Seonghwa fires back, voice calm as he could keep it, remembering what Yunho had said to him before entering his bedroom just a few hours ago. “My only regret was bringing him here, where he is clearly not welcome.”

“And that dog will never set a foot inside this household again, do I make myself clear?” She pauses, looking at the ground before returning to Seonghwa’s staring contest. “Seonghwa you brought this dog into our household, did unspeakable things with him and now you expect us to just let it go by? I’m angry at _myself_ right now because I- I should have seen the signs. I _did_ see the signs but I allowed myself to be coerced into thinking your relationship with that dog was harmless.”

Seonghwa’s eomma shudders a bit at that. Seonghwa has always... always wondered why in a million years his parents had let him continue to be friends with Yunho for all the time they had, even with the disapproval. They had never actively stepped in and prevented them from seeing each other. He had his answer right there. Maybe... maybe that was another reason why Seonghwa stayed. Because his eomma... there was a real chance he might be able to get through to her. And even if that chance was fruitless, he still thought it might be worth trying.

“I am angry at myself for letting you turn into this... this abomination. You’ve been corrupted by canines Seonghwa how can you not see that? You’re giving in to their instinctual, disgusting ways.” She looked at him as if she couldn’t believe what she was witnessing.

“If you’re going to try and shame me, call me a freak, mamma I have been getting called all of those things and worse by everyone around me for half of my life.” Seonghwa said coldly, voice breaking a bit at the end. After all this time... it seemed those words had affected him after all, even if he couldn’t see it. “I have been recovering from societies judgement for years now and you calling me an abomination does _nothing_ to my conscience.” He let the last part settle in a bit, awaiting his mamma’s outburst.

Seonghwa’s mamma flattens her ears a bit, eyebrows drawn down angrily. She was getting closer and closer to losing it. “You dare to defy me even after all you’ve put me through...” She growls out. “You’ve hurt this family-“

“Yunho is my family.” Seonghwa countered, losing his calm a bit. He didn’t care, even if he knew those words would make his mamma... even angrier, even more outraged. And they did. Her face is bright red now, ears flattened against her head and eyes full of fire, tail swishing back and forth. Seonghwa’s eomma then gets up from her place on the couch, touching his mamma’s shoulder gently and speaking for the first time.

“Listen, listen both of you maybe we can talk about this tomorrow when... when it’s more appropriate-“

“The most appropriate time to talk about this is now.” His mamma cuts her wife off with sharp words, and the dark-haired woman shrinks back, resuming her seat on the couch, legs drawn together and head held down. His mamma continues. “If we’re going to heal this family there must be rules, new ones set down. For you.” 

Seonghwa started. “I’m nineteen, mamma I am independent of you, of this household even if you insist on keeping me here.”

But she doesn’t seem to care, not one bit. Because Seonghwa was bluffing in the end. She did have power over... over both him and his eomma. Anyone could see that. “You will not see him, you will not meet him you will not talk to him. You are not to speak of that dog to us, to our friends, as far as this family is concerned, he was never in your life.” Her voice is sharp with rage, beating Seonghwa down to the ground with her words. “Understand?”

His mamma was trying to keep him here using fear and power.... and Seonghwa had no choice but to agree. For now. Out of consideration for his eomma’s poor heart. He couldn’t imagine what kind of pain she’d go through if Seonghwa were to just... run away. He flattens his ears, nodding slightly. 

His mamma sits back down at that. “Good.” She flicks an ear, regaining her composure. “I hope we can continue to cultivate a better mindset in you from now on, and allow you to heal from your corruption.” Shes treating Seonghwa like he’s mentally ill, like he needs to be ‘fixed’. “Go back to your room, son.”

Seonghwa gladly gets to his feet and marches back down the hall, and the moment he closes the door... he isn’t even given the time to reflect on all the shit that just went down. His mamma’s angry voice echoes down the hall even then and Seonghwa just sighs, curling up on his bed. He hates it here.

Faintly in the background of the dull ceiling fan buzz, Seonghwa can hear the sounds of his parents arguing in the living room still. And if he points his ears towards the door... he can almost hear it. His eomma is speaking right now.

_”We should listen to him, maybe if he tells us how he got to- to that place with that boy then we could understand him more, as our son!”_

_”No you listen. Ever since he met that dog he’s been distancing himself from us, every single year it’s gotten worse.”_

_”We have made him hate us.”_

_”If a child does not hate their parent at some point in familiarity then that parent had not been disciplined enough with them. We are doing the right thing.”_

There’s a pause, Seonghwa can hear them coming to bed, the click of their door across from Seonghwa’s opening. 

_”We should have never let him bring that... that_ mutt _into our lives.”_

There’s another pause, Seonghwa tilts his ears back, hearing a murmuring. They must have entered the room. But then, there’s footsteps going back out.

_”I- I need some time to think about this... alone. I need to think about this alone.”_ It’s his eomma.

_”Come to bed when you’re ready.”_ And then a final closing of the door. 

Seonghwa breaths out, burying his face into the sheets. Yunho’s scent permeates the air, lingers all around him, and that’s really the only thing he finds comfort in at the moment. The scent gathers at Seonghwa’s wrists, right around his ribbon, and the cat hybrid presses it up against his face, curling up in a little ball and pretending the pup was there, Yunho was against him, that his pillow was Yunho’s chest, the blanket bunched up in front of him was Yunho’s back, anything to comfort him.

_”I love you...”_ Seonghwa likes to think he doesn’t have any regrets... but he might have one, on top of the other. He regrets not telling Yunho he loved him... before the beginning of this... separation. One he had no idea when it would end. 

One thing that manages to put him to sleep... is the soft touch of that ribbon. Knowing Yunho was wearing the same thing on his wrist, that seemed to be their only connection for now. And when Seonghwa finally, finally drifts off into sleep, he dreams of soft sheets... and the scent of peaches and cream. Even if he wasn’t here in body, Yunho just couldn’t seem to leave Seonghwa completely.

_______

“What’s the occasion again? Also... you’re gorgeous as ever, Hwa, might I add.”

“Don’t you have a boyfriend, you scoundrel?” Seonghwa tilts his head and crosses his arms, amused by the other feline’s flirting. 

“We’re doing an open-playing field type of thing right now. And besides he finds you hot too so...” Hongjoong doesn’t have an ending to his sentence, just turns the corner on the pavement and comes to a small clearing with a big bench and some scattered pigeons, pecking at leftover popcorn from where someone had probably been feeding them earlier. Seonghwa takes up the seat next to him.

“To answer your question... I’m...” Seonghwa gathers his thoughts. “It’s hard to describe.”

“We’ve got all the time in the world, Hwa.” Hongjoong’s tail flicks to the side, the tabby leaned against the bench, slightly slouching, with his booty shorts riding up on one of his thighs. Seonghwa always loved the smaller boy’s ever-changing wardrobe. He doesn’t know how to begin explaining to Hongjoong why he wanted to talk, why he felt he needed to talk to someone.

To tell the truth when Seonghwa began dialing the tabby’s number into his phone earlier that day, he had just needed some air, to get out of the house, to have an excuse to get out of the house.... and distract himself. He hadn’t thought he’d be this bad at hiding his troubles.

_”Please...” Seonghwa clutched the phone in his hands. “Eomma I promise it’s not Yunho I just... I need to see a friend right now. Please don’t tell mamma.”_

His eomma had been understanding, nodding to her son. _”I will tell her you’re at the library, Hwa. Just... come back home soon. I worry too, you know.”_

_“I will, eomma. Don’t worry too much.”_

And that’s how he ended up here, deep into the park with Kim Hongjoong. Seonghwa reflects on how he’s always gone to Hongjoong as a distraction from his troubles, but always ended up confessing something to him in the end. It’s wasn’t exactly like the therapy sessions he would have with Yeosang but... it helped. Just in a different way. 

Sometimes he needed the realistic, no sugar-coating life advice that the fox hybrid was always willing to give. But sometimes he needed someone to just listen and sit with it. That person was Hongjoong, had been for awhile now.

“Should I start, would that help?” Hongjoong offers when Seonghwa doesn’t say anything back. Seonghwa just nods, not quite ready to go full on emotional bawling session with the other cat hybrid. Hongjoong continues. “Okay well... I just got offered to have my designs used for a local arts festival, so that’s pretty exciting I guess...” 

“Congratulations.” Seonghwa says, trying to lift his gloomy attitude. Hongjoong just shrugs.

“I was hesitant cause... they wanted to change up a lot of stuff I wasn’t okay with at first but... I think the school office talked some sense into them...” Hongjoong trails off. “Oh!... you know San’s parents are trying to get me to dye my hair gray? It’s so fucking weird...” Hongjoong shakes his head

Seonghwa laughs, leaning back to look at Hongjoong. “Maybe they want you to look like a lynx?” Seonghwa didn’t mean it seriously but right then, Hongjoong’s face turns wide-eyed with realization.

“Holy shit that’s exactly what they’re trying to do.” He laughs slightly at the end of his sentence and Seonghwa just giggles along with him.

Hongjoong places a hand on Seonghwa’s knee while he’s still laughing, turning to the side to look up into the taller boy’s eyes. Hongjoong’s gaze is unwavering, he seems serious. “Seonghwa look at me.” He breathes out. “If you don’t want to talk about what’s going on... then you don’t have to. I’m fine with just heading to the boba place and catching up on my side of things... it’s not big deal.”

Seonghwa shakes his head immediately afterwards. “No... no I’ve stopped being.... I want to be truthful, to myself and to the people around me. That includes you.” He looks back at the smaller cat hybrid. “And if I’m telling the truth... this has been both the worst and best week of my life.” He smiles sadly a bit.

Hongjoong raises an eyebrow. “That crazy, huh.” He huffs, leaning back in the bench again. “Tell me more.”

And so... Seonghwa vents out everything he can. From prom night, that romantic dance Yunho had set up so perfectly, the kiss that changed everything (Hongjoong made so much fun of him for how sappy that was), the Ferris wheel confessions (also dubbed ridiculously cliche and ridiculously adorable by Hongjoong)...

“I took him home that night... and it was like... I had never felt fully complete until that moment, I just hadn’t realized it yet.” Seonghwa teared up just a bit when he recalled his night with Yunho, the first half of it at least. 

“Complete in more ways than one I assume?” Hongjoong smirks, snickering a bit and Seonghwa hits him softly in the side.

“Hey! I’ll have you know we actually didn’t go all the way that night, if that’s what you’re implying.” Him and Yunho had just been experimenting... getting to know each other again, for the first time outside of Yunho’s ruts. There was no need to go ‘all the way’ that night, it had been up to them, invincible to every rule society had put up. “That’s... that’s besides the point. Anyways...”

“Is this where things get ugly?” Hongjoong asks tentatively. 

Seonghwa nods, trying not to get too emotional. He’d been going through the steps the last few days, the steps in just sitting idly by and letting his mamma lecture him like she never had before on her ‘dangers of associating with canines’ speech. “I fucked up.” Seonghwa breathes out. “I fucked up so badly, Hongjoong.” Seonghwa can feel his nose getting stuffy as he remembers having to wake Yunho up to.... to that.

“You’re parents found out?” Hongjoong’s voice is dead serious now, but still tender with sensitivity towards Seonghwa’s situation.

Meanwhile, Seonghwa’s side is beginning to hurt in a... strange way. He hopes it’ll go away before he goes to boba. He continues. “I had to see Yunho out... and then they- _she_... just started to... say things about me shaming my family, my society... all that shit.” Seonghwa feels himself getting angrier as he continues talking. “She called me an abomination. A fucking abomination, and then went on to say I had hurt her.” 

Hongjoong tilts his head downwards, ears drooping. “I’m sorry that had to happen, Hwa.” 

Seonghwa sniffles. “According to her... I’m not allowed to see Yunho or talk about him ever again.” He finishes. Hongjoong doesn’t respond, but he does put a hand on Seonghwa’s back and draws him close, leaning the taller boy against him.

They’re silent after that, sitting with Seonghwa’s words, taking them in, not quite wondering what to do next but... still processing the now, and what had happened. It’s what Seonghwa needed really, to get it all out in the open, not bottle it up. It’s when Seonghwa thinks back to who taught him how to open up in the first place that he begins to get miserable again.

“I think I can help.” Hongjoong suddenly says. Seonghwa perks his ears up as the smaller boy continues. “I’ve told you about my parents before, right?”

“Not really...” Seonghwa answers, voice still scratchy from tearing up. Hongjoong may have mentioned his parents two or three times since Seonghwa met him, and the older boy had never seen them himself since Hongjoong lived at the dorms.

“They’re a queen/queen relationship... and they’re local social activists... specializing in helping people... all the underprivileged communities, relationships, like you and Yunho, be able to live their lives.” Hongjoong says. “They actually aided a canine/feline couple in court just last month... it was a major political thing like, a few towns over but they won the case in the end so...”

“That’s...” Seonghwa can feel the excitement welling up inside of him, replacing his anger. Especially at the thought of there being... more mixed couples like him and Yunho out there, as he himself has never met one. “That’s kind of amazing, Hongjoong.” Hongjoong smiles back at him. Seonghwa continues. “Can- can I talk to them someday?”

“Well that’s what I was getting to... see I don’t know how to help you myself but they could definitely get you guys the right therapists, connect you with other couples like you... and help with legal shit in the future if... if that ever comes up.” Hongjoong explains.

Seonghwa feels... ever so grateful for Hongjoong right in this moment. “I’d love that... I’m sure Yunho would love that too.” He pauses, flicking his tail back and forth. “Could we meet with them soon?”

“You’ll need to get Yunho back first... and get by your parents.” That’ll be impossible, especially since it’d be the second time. Seonghwa would have to find a way to convince them... or run away between now and next week. He could do that, he tells himself. “They can really help, Hwa. They’ve done this sort of thing for a lot of people like you... and me I guess.” Hongjoong seems to remember right then that he’s in a tom/tom relationship at the moment. And open one, but a relationship nonetheless.

And that’s when that dull little pain suddenly... it explodes. Tremendously. Seonghwa feels his form breaking and his body folds in half at the weight of the pain, circulating his entire body. He can already feel tears forming in his eyes at the feeling.

“I can have you guys meet them sometime next week... if you wanna...” Hongjoong’s voice wavered as he noticed Seonghwa keeling over next to him, turning where he was sitting to put a hand on the other feline’s back. “Hwa? Hwa, are you okay?”

The pain suddenly shoots back through his body, like a lightening bolt traveling through his nerves, and gathers. Right at his wrist, right where that little blue bow was, sitting neatly under the satin there. And Seonghwa has to keep himself from screaming out of pain. “I think I’m having a heart.. a heart- attack....” He chokes out.

Hongjoong’s eyes go wide as saucers and his tail puffs up, instantly taking out his phone at that, hurriedly dialing the numbers and holding it up to his ear. Seonghwa groans next to him, tears streaming down his face by now. “What... what are you...”

Hongjoong shakes his head. “I’m calling an ambulance, Hwa. Just hang tight.” His voice sounds scared. Seonghwa is scared himself, his entire body continuing to ache and light up with pain. It’s as if something is tugging on him from the inside, urging him to do something, but the cat hybrid doesn’t know what, couldn’t begin to imagine what. What was this?

The pain circulates and then gathers at his wrist again as the two wait for what feels like hours for the stupid emergency room to pick up. But as the pain begins to swirl and gather in his wrist again... something happens. Something impossible.

Seonghwa can hear panting... and a voice. He can hear panting and a voice and all he can smell is sour peaches and spoiled cream and it’s like he’s been stung it’s so horrible, such a horrible scent and it’s surrounding him, filling his nose like gas. And the voice of his best friend, Yunho’s voice, rings fuzzy in Seonghwa’s ears, rattling his brain, calling out... but Seonghwa can’t hear, he can’t hear him clearly. Yunho is crying. And now a familiar pain shoots though Seonghwa’s heart, identical to the pain in his wrist. No... no they had it all wrong... He has it all wrong. Seonghwa wasn’t having a heart attack at all.

“Hongjoong stop. Stop!” Seonghwa slaps the other cat hybrid’s phone out of his hand, Hongjoong turning towards him angrily. 

“Hwa what?... What the fuck?! You’re having a fucking heart attack and you don’t want me to- have you gone insane?!” Hongjoong sounds outraged, understandably so. Seonghwa tries to speak faster so as to calm the tabby down but... every word shoots another bolt of pain through his wrist.

“It’s not... Hongjoong it’s not a heart attack...” Seonghwa’s breathing is heavy, forced. He looks up at Hongjoong miserably. “Yunho is going- Yunho is going into a rut.”

_______

.

..

...

_”Eomma! Look at this one!” Seonghwa picked the biggest, brightest blue fur scarf from off of the shelf, wrapping it around his neck and twirling around in his little long coat, using his fluffy tail to balance. He looks into the full-length mirror at his half-swallowed up form and blinks happily at himself._

_”Thats beautiful, Hwa! You look like a fashion model.” Seonghwa’s eomma trails along behind him, carrying several big shopping bags. “We can’t buy it though, sweetie.”_

_”Its for you!” Seonghwa takes the fur off his neck and tries to wrap it around his eomma’s, flopping the scarf around in a circle until the look is satisfactory. He beams up at her, proud of his pick._

_His eomma twirls around in the fur like Seonghwa did, little black ears identical to his perking up with interest. “You have quite the eye for fashion, little one.” She sets the fur back down on the shelf but Seonghwa doesn’t see, because he’s already scampering off to his favorite section in the store, the one with all the pretty ribbons and bow hair clips on display, laid out in many colors._

_Seonghwa’s tail was held up in excitement as he ran his eyes over all the little ribbons, imagining what it’d be like to have his own collection so he could wear a new one every day. The bows are all more expensive than they usually would be, since they were all hand-stitched and made of the finest materials, some even having pendants in the middle. Seonghwa had been asking his parents if he could get one for awhile now. Maybe since it was near his birthday they would let him buy one finally. He was turning nine, that must be all the reason to get an extra special gift._

_”Eomma....” He starts, looking back at her hopefully. She already knows what he wants, they’ve been through this more than once. But this time, Seonghwa thinks he might have a chance at getting one._

_She just smiles back at him. “Lets wait for your mamma to get here and see what she thinks, Hwa.”_

_”Why are you waiting for me to get here?” His mamma comes out from behind a shelf all of a sudden, walking up to the two other felines and giving her wife a kiss on the cheek, pulling her close. “Is everything okay?” Her ivory ears turn towards Seonghwa._

_His eomma smiles back at her. “Seonghwa was wondering if he could get a bow today.”_

_Seonghwa walked up to his mamma, looking up at her. ”Please, mamma, it’ll be like an early present!” He gave her his best pout and opened his eyes real wide, knowing that trick always worked on her._

_His mamma sighed and gave him a few ear scratches, patting him on the head affectionately. “This ones such a little rascal, he knows exactly how to make me cave in.” She remarked to his eomma, laughing as Seonghwa’s face lights up. It’s working! “You can get a bow, Hwa._ But _this goes out of your gifts on your actual birthday, dear.”_

_”I know, thank you mamma!” Seonghwa giggles, rushing back over to the section with all the little shiny ribbon clips. He was so excited he couldn’t figure out which one to choose. His favorite color was black because that was the color of his hair but... he didn’t want to get it that exact color or it would blend in and no one would see his pretty bow. Seonghwa ends up picking out a deep red bow with a little gold heart pendant in the middle, all shiny satin so it looked like a red rose. Seonghwa looked into the mirror and clipped it into his hair immediately. “Do I look pretty?” He turns back to his parents, who are watching on amusedly._

_“It looks perfect on you, dear.” His mamma smiles warmly, adjusting the little bow in his hair. Seonghwa purred back at her, feeling even prettier than before. His mamma just laughs and gives him another pat. “I need to look for a new watch, honey will you two be okay just browsing awhile longer?”_

_”We’ll be fine, right Hwa?” Seonghwa nods his head up and down enthusiastically, still distracted by his reflection in the mirror, posing in front of it, bringing his tail around and cuddling it up to his cheek. His eomma comes up behind him and curls her own fluffy tail around him. “Having fun, sweetheart?”_

_”I love it, eomma!” Seonghwa exclaims, skipping back and grabbing a green bow for his eomma, pinning it in her hair so that they matched. “There!”_

_His eomma laughed at the kitten’s antics, taking the bow back out of her hair and setting it back down on the display. As Seonghwa is experimenting different places to put the bow in his hair, a small group of kittens, probably a bit older than Seonghwa walk by, chatting away with each other holding shopping bags. Seonghwa doesn’t pay attention to them, but his eomma must have._

_”No friends at school yet, Hwa?” She asks carefully._

_”I don’t need friends, Eomma!” Seonghwa insisted. All the other felines on the playground always asked Seonghwa if he wanted to play with them, complimented his ears, told him he looked like such a pretty queen but Seonghwa didn’t want to play with them, he thought they didn’t actually care about his personality. Seonghwa liked superheroes and baking cookies and going shopping, trying on new outfits that made him feel extra pretty, but none of them would care about that._

_”You will someday, Hwa. You’ll need someone else to look after you, and for you to look after them.” She says calmly, voice soft and encouraging. Seonghwa still wasn’t convinced. Everyone his age was confusing, he didn’t want to be around someone who confused him._

_“But you already look after me! And I look after you and mamma!” He protested._

_His eomma sighed, shaking her head. ”How about this, Hwa. Why don’t you pick out another bow.” She gestured back towards the ribbon display, colorful and inviting._

_Seonghwa’s eyes light up with excitement. “But will mamma be okay with it?”_

_”Mamma will be fine, now go pick out your bow.” She hurried him along._

_Seonghwa was always happy to get more pretty things. He scanned his eyes back over the ribbon display, trying to decide on which other one to pick out. After a minute, he decided he liked the red color too much not to get another one. This one didn’t have a pendant in the middle though, it was just a plain classic red bow. Seonghwa thought it looked ‘elegant and sophisticated’ as his mamma would say. He takes both his new bows in his hands and holds them out to his eomma excitedly._

_His eomma smiles, looking over both the little clips. “So... you can keep this one for yourself.” His eomma points to the red one with the heart in the middle. “But I want you to give this one.” She picks up the plain red one. “To your first friend, wether you find them tomorrow or in a year. Make sure it’s someone special, Hwa.”_

_Seonghwa pouts a bit, realizing he’d just been tricked but he really really wanted to keep both bows, so he agreed, nodding reluctantly. “But you cant tell me all the time that I need to make friends, okay? Mamma too.” His mamma was always trying to push him to make new friends, join the purebreds club at his school and socialize._

_”I’ll try not to bring it up so often, Hwa. And I’ll talk to your mamma about it too.” She promised. Seonghwa smiled wide at that, picking back up the plain red bow and slipping it back in his hair as they walked to the checkout booth._

_Someone special... that’s what his eomma had said, that he had to give the bow to someone special. Seonghwa doubted he would ever meet someone more special than his family, his eomma and mamma, or himself. He had everything he needed, who cared if there was someone ‘special’ out there. For now, both bows were his to brandish in his hair to his hearts content._

_As the week of his birthday went by though, celebrated with just him, his parents and a few family friends, Seonghwa began wonder day after day, when what would happen if that ‘special’ person might come along. He hoped they liked superheroes. And baking. And had a clean room, and that he could go to the mall with them. Most importantly though, he hoped they thought he was special too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next we shall be seeing Yunho’s pov... i wonder what will happen, how will they deal with the rut situation, hm?
> 
> off topic but once again i hope everyone is doing well with the recent craziness in the kpop world. have a self care day, read all your fav fics to calm yourself down, do what you need to. also if you can, support skz in their next comeback!! 
> 
> thank you all for reading!! <3


	18. Cat vs Dog Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter eighteen, another point of view taking place the same time as last chapter
> 
> sorry for the late update, as i said before things are getting busier in my life lately... but i will try to put out the next chapter earlier than usual to make up for it!!
> 
> hope you all enjoy! <3

When Yunho last looked at Seonghwa, he tried his hardest to tell the older boy with just his eyes that everything would be okay, and even if it wasn’t, that Yunho would make it okay. For them. He wasn’t sure if he came across to the cat hybrid. 

Yunho had felt empowered, unafraid when he had came under the harsh, judgmental gaze of Seonghwa’s parents. But the moment the pup stepped outside of Seonghwa’s house, walked out to the sidewalk and took a deep breath of the night air all around him, he felt as if he couldn’t breath all of a sudden. Yunho held his hand to his heart and pressed down hard, willing the pain to stop coming but it wouldn’t let up no matter how hard he tried.

Yunho sobbed into his jacket the entire cab ride home. The driver, an unamused leopard hybrid, paid no attention, just took the money from Yunho’s hand when they finally came up to Yunho’s house and drove off without a word. The pup was grateful really, that the guy hadn’t paid any attention. Yunho felt ashamed enough as it is.

The dog hybrid hesitated when he reached the screen door on his porch. Even if prom had just been earlier today, it seemed like weeks had passed because so many things had happened that day, Yunho had felt and experienced more than he could have imagined. 

He wanted to be with Seonghwa, so badly, so painfully. He wanted to run all the way back to his best friend’s house and burst though the door, carry the older boy out bridal style and whisk him away from his parents, away from society. He wanted to leave town with Seonghwa and travel, the only familiarity being each other and the stars, and then settle down in like a... cottage in the woods or something and bake cookies all day every day and adopt a kid at some point... yeah. That’s what he wanted, or at least what his mind could conjure up in the seconds walking from his porch step to the door.

Wait did he just imagine marrying Seonghwa? Yunho wouldn’t be opposed to the idea... and to have kids... Yunho knew they’d never be able to have them the natural way but... the thought of Seonghwa cradling a baby in his arms... Why was he imagining getting married when he was eighteen? I mean he definitely wouldn’t want to settle down with Seonghwa at least until they reached their mid-twenties but.... fuck. Yunho shook his head and effectively brought himself back to reality. No cottage, no baby, and worst of all no Seonghwa.

They wouldn’t even be able to get married now that he thought about it, since marriage between canines and felines was illegal. Fuck, he was so stupid.

He hates himself so much right now. It seemed like most of what he’d done was ruin Seonghwa’s life, and intruded on... their family, the life Seonghwa could have had supported by them. The last thing... the last thing he wanted was for Seonghwa to experience losing a parent. Even if it’s not to death, but to disownment.

First things first though, how the hell is he going to explain all this to his eomma?

The door opens before Yunho can debate with himself any more, his eomma’s tired, concerned face meeting his and blinking confusedly. “Yunho...? Honey I thought you were staying with friends tonight...?” She asks, searching his face and realizing how.... distraught the pup looks. Yunho figures he must look like a train ran over him at this point with how much he bawled his eyes out in the cab. “Yun... what’s happened?” She asks innocently.

Yunho smiles sadly at her and looks down at the ground before muttering. “Things... things went wrong, Eomma...” He sniffs, feeling the tears returning as he spoke. “I- I need to be home.” It’s the truth, leading out the fact that home included not only his eomma, but Seonghwa as well.

“Oh honey....” Yunho’s eomma reaches up and around to hold her son gently, rocking them back and forth. The golden-haired boy sniffles and allows himself to feel... almost like a little puppy again. His eomma pulls back, looking her son over once and then guiding him through the door. “Come on... lets get you some warm milk...”

The house smells like tea and baked goods leftover from his eomma’s gathering, a few books scattered on the dining table from their presumed book club thing they had going on. Yunho feels bad for waking his eomma up from a well-deserved sleep after hosting so many people in their house... “Eomma...?”

His eomma shakes her head at him. “Pajamas now, talk later. Now get out of that stuffy suit.” She pushes him upstairs and Yunho just smiles to himself as he walks the rest of the way up, familiar freak of the steps more comforting to him than they should be. 

When Yunho reaches the top of the stairs and enters his room, he picks his favorite pair of striped matching pajamas to put on, shedding the heavy suit and buttoning them up one by one. He can remember getting a matching set with Seonghwa one day at the mall a few years ago. Yunho’s heart hurts again.

When Yunho walks back downstairs, his eomma has prepared a mug with milk steaming inside, swirling the golden honey mixture with a spoon like she always used to do when Yunho was little. He wagged his tail gratefully when he sits down at the table, blinking softly at his eomma. She sighs. “I suppose things didn’t go well at prom?”

Prom? Prom had been... prom had been amazing. Yunho can remember the way him and Seonghwa twirled about in the upper halls of the school and he feels himself getting emotional again. If there was anything that made him feel safe, it was the cat hybrid’s soft gentle purring, reverberating through Seonghwa into Yunho and easing him to sleep. His eomma had no idea.

“Prom was great eomma but...” Yunho doesn’t even know where to begin, mind searching for the right words, words he couldn’t find. Everything seemed far too soon after everything had just happened, the wounds too raw to keep reopening them again. “I can’t... I can’t tell you.”

His eomma gives him a saddened look. “Why not, honey?”

Yunho stammers to explain. “I- it’s too complicated right now.” He finally says. “But I promise I’m not in danger, no one is in danger.” Well besides him and Seonghwa’s relationship. Fuck. “Please understand... I can tell you later but right now it’s... it’s too soon, Eomma. It’s just too soon.” 

His eomma just nods slowly, looking down at the table. She didn’t comment any more on the subject and Yunho feels like he must be the luckiest pup in the world to have such an understanding mother, one who trusted him to deal with his own troubles like this. She simply asked. “Is there anything I can do to support you?”

Yunho thinks to himself “I guess... I just need a distraction right now.” Yunho says honestly. He wasn’t too keen on telling his eomma of his relationship with Seonghwa just yet... even with the voice in the back of his head, telling him he needed to. It can wait. For now... Yunho needs to gather his thoughts, brainstorm ideas to save Seonghwa, save his... whatever Seonghwa was to him at this point. Boyfriend? The word seemed too casual to describe the way Yunho felt towards the older boy.

Yunho’s eomma just smiles. “I’ve got a new cookbook from the club meeting today...” Her voice turns playful. “I’ve got all week away from work to try some recipes out.” She gives him a hopeful ‘what do you say?’ look and Yunho huffs to himself. Baking... sounded like the perfect therapy right now. 

“I’d love to help you bake, eomma.” And that was that. They’d try out a new recipe every day that week and Yunho was honestly more excited than he should be.

That night, Yunho dreams of rose fields and twinkling stars and a soft, deep voice lulling him to sleep. He wakes up feeling... hopeful. At least more than before.

_______

Yunho and his eomma are in the middle of rolling out croissants, the chatter of a drama playing on the small tv in the background when Yunho begins to feel it. That ever-familiar, deep, innate heat rising in his stomach that he dreaded so much. Why now, of all times, he asked himself as he continued to pound the butter with a rolling pin. He knew that every passing hour, the heat in his stomach would only get worse and worse. 

Yunho was beyond relieved when his eomma announced she was going to run some errands that day, leaving the rest of the afternoon open for Yunho to “play games on that little box of yours” as his eomma said. The moment the door clicked shut and he heard his eomma pulling out of the driveway, Yunho climbed the staircase and in no time, he was lying facing the ceiling on his bed, waiting for the rut to settle in and take over his body.

It started as a dull throb, from the base of his cock all the way up the length, the preparation of the knot, Yunho figures. It’d be best to just let it happen. He knew this would be painful anyways, might as well speed things up. But when the pup reaches over the edge of the bed, searching underneath for the bottle of lube, he finds the bottle was used up all the way. Great. Fucking fantastic.

By evening, Yunho was a sweaty, throbbing mess, creating a wet patch under him on the bed, tossing and turning to the side back and forth trying to shake himself out of this, take it back, go back, reverse it but it was no use. Yunho looked over himself, his heaving his chest moving up and down, pec muscles straining to rise and fall with Yunho’s erratic breathing, his abs, and finally his fully hard cock, standing proud and red against his stomach, a painful sight. The pup covers his mouth with his hand to prevent himself from making too much noise.

Yunho thinks he might as well have just flung his body into the sun because that’s what he felt like right now, all overshadowed by his racing thoughts, centered around one, true raw desire. Seonghwa.

Seonghwa’s heated body so supple and perfect, Seonghwa’s wet, velvety walls all around him and the fucking squelching sounds they would make, the cat hybrid’s noises that would escape his mouth every time Yunho thrusted into him just _right_... his rose scent- fuck -his rose scent... “Hyung...” The pup whimpered, swallowing. “Hyung... Seonghwa Hyung please..” 

Yunho tried again to touch himself, rut against the covers, a pillow, anything but it was too painful, too sensitive and burning at the touch. He knew, he knew deep down that the only thing that would sate him was Seonghwa, his omega. But he couldn’t have that... he could never have that.

Gradually over time, the pain became worse and worse, heightening to the point it felt like a ball of fire was forming in Yunho’s stomach and burning his nerves, jabbing at his heart, playing images over and over again in his brain of just Seonghwa... Seonghwa’s scent, Seonghwa’s purr, his voice... the way his skin felt against Yunho’s... He needed it. He needed it or- or he felt he might pass out or worse.

And it just got more and more painful the further he slipped in to his rut, the more his alpha began to take over his mind.

_I’ve done something wrong... I did something wrong and now my omega doesn’t want me anymore, now I can’t see him again... I messed up I drove him away I did something horrible._ The pup tries to fight it, feels like bashing his head against a wall in the effort. It doesn’t work. Not one bit.

Yunho could feel the rational part of his mind and his alpha instincts battling it out in his brain, shifting back and forth between each mindset at a rapid pace that made his head hurt... it made his ears ache, jaw tense up, and he yelled into the pillow over and over again. Make it stop. Make it stop. Seonghwa, omega, whatever he is to him make it stop.

Make it stop. _He needs to make it stop, he needs Seonghwa... he needs his omega... his sweet, perfect omega to help him, to guide him..._ “Omega...” Yunho cringes when he hears himself.

The pup turned around so that his stomach was facing the sheets, trying to bury his face in his pillow but the friction with his cock dragging against the fabric made him help out in pain, curling back over on his side and weeping there. And he wasn’t producing enough precum to ease any slide, relieve himself properly. Yunho thinks of Seonghwa’s pretty cock and how much precum it would leak when Yunho fucked him, when he jerked him off... How nice it would feel in his mouth... 

He needed lube, he needed lube so he could fuck that stupid fleshlight, anything that would simulate being with Seonghwa... But he hadn’t bought any more since... Since his first rut with the older boy. And there was no way in hell he was asking his eomma to get lube for him. So he had only one choice, and that was to ask the aid of his friends.

“Come on, Wooyoung...” Yunho muttered as he searched for the pup’s name in his contacts, only to be met with Wooyoung’s obnoxious voicemail message and the line going dead. Same with Mingi. Why were his friends so busy again? Was it because they had both boyfriends now? Yunho ended up calling Yeosang as a last resort, praying to who knows that the fox hybrid would pick up even if he wasn’t as close to him as the other two canines. 

A few dial tones and... there’s a click on the other line.

_”Hello? Yunho... what’s up?”_ Yunho can’t remember a time he’s been more thankful to hear the fox hybrid’s stoic voice, he can even feel his tail wagging behind him. 

“Yeosang. I know it’s sudden and everything and... and I know this is... a weird thing to ask for...” Fuck fuck fuck why did he do this? Yeosang would probably hang up the moment Yunho asked him. Why was he doing this again? Yunho was such an idiot...

Yeosang just chuckles slightly. _”I’m getting nervous... do you want money from me cause... I’m pretty broke at the moment.”_ At least he didn’t seem weirded out yet...

“It’s... I’m in- I’m in a rut.” Yunho breaths out, finding it harder and harder to sound calm. Yeosang is silent for a second before responding.

_”O-Kay?”_ He laughs again. _”Am I about to hear Seonghwa moaning in the background because if I do I’m not continuing this call.”_ The fox hybrid’s sputters through the phone. _”Wait fuck you weren’t supposed to know that I... I mean it was going to come out at some point right?”_

“Wait- wait no, Yeosang...” Yunho stammers desperately, clutching the phone to his ear like his life depended on it. “Seonghwa Hyung isn’t here... he’s not here...” Yunho feels like he’s about to fucking cry just from saying those words out loud... Seonghwa wasn’t here. He wasn’t here and he wasn’t going to help Yunho and he probably had no idea this was even happening. 

_”Woah woah... Yunho calm down did you say Seonghwa isn’t there?”_ Yeosang sounds concerned, but Yunho can’t even focus anymore. He feels like just venting out everything he’s feeling right now to poor Yeosang over the phone but the last bit of control seems to be keeping him from that, so that all he can do it whine out.

“Hyung... Hyung isn’t here... he didn’t come.” Yunho cries. He feels like a helpless baby right now, crying from separation anxiety. But Yeosang doesn’t seem to take it that way, muttering to himself.

_”Shit... this isn’t good... this isn’t good at all...”_ Yeosang sounds like he’s rustling through something on the other line. _”You want me to call him for you?”_

Yunho sobs. “N- no... Hyung can’t come... he can’t...” 

_”Why can’t Seonghwa come, Yunho?”_ Yeosang sounds slightly irritated, and it makes Yunho feel even more stupid, crying into his hands. 

“Hyung’s... Hyung’s parents...” Yunho can’t form the words in his head, which were jumbled enough as it is. “My fault... it was my fault.” He sobbed, curling his body in on itself even more than he had before. He was so, so fucked. He was going to wake up tomorrow humiliated and broken and Seonghwa still wouldn’t be able to see him even after all of that. 

_”Shit...”_ Yeosang curses again, the line going silent. Then he asks more gently. _”Is there... anything I can do to help, Yunho?”_ His voice is a lot less irritated sounding... it was likely he had been upset with Seonghwa and not Yunho... 

“Lube...” Yunho whimpers. “Please.. please I’ll pay you back I need it...”

_”I’m sick right now, Yunho... I’m going to have to send Jongho to get it instead, is that okay?”_

Jongho? Yunho hardly knew the boy, and from what he’d seen he thinks the younger pup would probably be mortified to have to buy and bring lube to a complete stranger. He stammers out. “No- no Yeosang you don’t... you don’t-“

_”Yunho calm down...”_ Yeosang says through the phone. _”You’re not overstepping boundaries... Jongho is an alpha too, he understands completely.”_

Yunho whines, curling up further, anxious to be able to do... something about his painful erection. ”Thank you... thank you, Yeosang....” He breathes out in relief. 

_”It’s nothing, now try to stake it out until then, got it?”_ Somehow, having someone else tell him what to do, give him instruction seemed to ease Yunho’s mind even more... maybe it was the innate need to be good, to please that always came around when his rut happened. 

“I will... thank you Yeosang.” Yunho says weakly. And then the phone line goes dead and the pup flops back over the mattress. Now to wait... easier said than done.

Yunho distracts himself by playing loud music through his earphones, hitting the wall until his knuckles hurt, singing to himself the way Seonghwa might have... it worked enough to sate him only slightly... When he heard the front door open and close he thought he might cry again from the relief, covering himself up completely in a blanket robe and preparing to answer the door, grab the items, and pretend like this had never happened.

That’s not how things end up going at all.

Jongho busts through Yunho’s door like a madman, standing in the hall like he’s the death-scythe guy coming for Yunho’s soul and the pup yelps, hiding in the covers and almost forgetting about his rut he was so startled.

“I’ve got your stuff.” Jongho announces, walking through the door hurriedly. The pup bends down next to the bed, rustling through the plastic bag and pulling out a few items he placed on the floor. “I- I brought a few from my house since they didn’t have some things at the pharmacy... hope you don’t mind.” He mutters nervously, hardly paying attention to the other dog hybrid.

Yunho looks on at Jongho’s bent form with wide eyes, alpha inside him still processing the idea of someone else being in the room that wasn’t Seonghwa. He was mesmerized. Jongho begins ripping open the packaging on a few items and after he’s done, tossing the plastic and cardboard into the trash can next to him, the boy sits back on his knees, swallowing like he’s nervous for a first date or something. 

“Okay so see... this is a numbing lotion. It’s good for like... when shit gets too... sensitive and and you need to... I don’t know. Stop feeling?” Jongho shrugs, adjusting his button up like he’s rehearsing a script. “It’s the best kind so not found in stores, so I guess... I guess it’s yours now.” Jongho makes eye contact with Yunho once before resuming his presentation.

“And this is a kind of.. it’s like a knot chafing cream?” He holds up the bottle before setting it down on the nightstand with the numbing lotion. He then takes up the last item. “And then here’s your lubricant. Sorry it took so long I had to look for an odorless one for longer than I should have...” He takes the lubricant and places it on the nightstand with the rest of the items, backing up a bit. There’s silence as Yunho just stares on, somewhat amazed by the younger pup’s presentation of rut products. 

Jongho suddenly blurts out again. “Wait are you weirded out? Is this weird? Fuck... I mean- darn it...” He catches himself cursing, and Yunho thinks it’s kind of hilarious. He begins chuckling under the sheets but it soon rises into full on laughter, cracking up and shaking under the covers. Jongho looks over Yunho confusedly. “What...? What did I do that was so funny?”

Yunho calms down a bit, half laughing from built up stress. It felt good to get some energy out of his system in a way that _wasn’t_ fucking the lights out of someone. “Nothing... it’s nothing Jongho... thank you so much.” Yunho giggled, shifting under the covers to a more comfortable position but then wincing in pain as his cock dragged up the sheets, curling in on himself once more. Jongho, seeming to have recovered from embarrassment by now, blinks and droops his ears in pity.

“Shit... that’s not good.” He comments.

Yunho laughs sadly, blinking away tears. “Don’t you go through the same thing?” He points out.

Jongho nods, but says. “I think yours are a lot worse than mine though...” The pup perks up suddenly and pulls his phone out of his pocket. “Oh no...”

Yunho is too weakened to wonder what the pup is so concerned about, rolling onto his other side, away from Jongho as the other dog hybrid continues. “Yeosang needs me to run some errands for him... will you be okay on your own?” It’s sweet really that Jongho was being so considerate with Yunho. He figured it was because he knew what the pup was going through, being an alpha and all. 

“I’ll be fine, Jongho...” Yunho tried his best to sound ‘fine’ but he knows it’s not that convincing. 

The pup doesn’t try to push any further, just opens the door with one last comment. “If I were you I’d use that numbing cream... like right now. Trust me you’ll feel ten times better.” And then he’s gone, shutting the door firmly behind him. Yunho meant to say thank you one last time but he felt like his cock was about to explode at this point... at least Jongho’s presentation had distracted him from Seonghwa if not for just a minute.

Jongho seemed like a sweet, competent boy but Yunho can’t imagine the poor kid putting up with Yeosang’s snarkiness twenty-four seven. It must be hilarious to watch... given their ridiculous confession thing at prom.

Either way, Yunho thinks he should give Jongho some cookies or something in the future as a thank you gift. But now, for now he had to take care of his... problem before the rut spiked again and he couldn’t function properly.

Yunho snapped open the cover on the bottle and pumped out several squirts of the clear white numbing cream onto a towel, not keen on getting the stuff on his hand. Yunho stroked the towel carefully and as efficiently as he could over his shaft a few times until he’s covered every inch and... well now all he can do is wait. And try not to let the Seonghwa thoughts come marching back into his brain or he’d definitely lose it.

And after about ten minutes... Yunho can definitely say the numbing seemed to be working. His scent was getting less strong, he was sweating less... you could almost say his physical symptoms were disappearing completely. The golden haired boy breathes out in relief.

The physical symptoms however, were just half of the rut.

Because just when Yunho starts the think he’s in the clear... he gets a sudden whiff of Seonghwa’s rose scent out of nowhere, entering his system and swirling around in his stomach... and then, something truly, horrifically insane happens.

Yunho’s wrist begins to ache. Not just ache though, because that ache fades and then comes back as a hard, sharp bolt of pain shooting through his wrist and then traveling up his body like lightning. The pup groans in pain, not thinking clearly enough to be able to dial any numbers, dial emergency contacts... he couldn’t do anything. He was helpless.

The hurt in his wrist causes his muscles to spasm over and over again, body jerking around on the mattress, scent souring as his brain went numb from the constant pain. But not numb enough it seems. There was still one, solid, clear thought pounding in his head, filling his entire body with a want, a _need_ that wasn’t even sexual at this point, the numbing cream has gotten rid of that easily... this was a desire, deeply rooted in him, awakening like a beast.

Seonghwa... Seonghwa’s voice, his smile, his cute head tilt, his gentle, guiding hands, the cat hybrid’s scent... his delicious, decadent scent... that seemed to be coming from his wrist at the moment, lingering there... had it always been like that, Yunho wonders. The pain subsides, tricking Yunho into a false sense of security and then returns stronger than ever, clogging his senses. Yunho cries out a weak. “Seonghwa... Hyung please, Seonghwa please... help me. Help me...” He whimpers. 

There’s a soft beep from his phone, unnoticed in Yunho’s high, and then it’s gone. All the dog hybrid can see are dull colors fading in and out and then black, just pitch black for as far as the eye could see. Yunho thinks it might be better this way, after all. Better to not feel anything for once, to drift off... and close... his eyes....

.

...

...

...

The familiar sound of Yunho’s ringtone, a compilation of Mingi and Wooyoung’s burping competition from earlier that year was what woke Yunho up. The pup looks around at his surroundings. It’s dim, probably evening time at this point. Yunho groans, touching the back of his neck which is still sore from the odd position he was in... did he pass out? He must have, for this much time to have gone by.

There’s a plate of fresh croissants on Yunho’s nightstand... right next to the lube and other sex-oriented toiletries... his eomma must have put them there... how was Yunho going to explain this to her..?

Yunho picked up his phone, glancing at the caller ID briefly. Hongjoong? The cat hybrid had never called him, never even texted him save for this one time he needed to return Seonghwa’s phone to him. What reason did he have to be calling Yunho now? The pup was too spent for this, post-rut exhaustion having set in quite a while ago it seems, but he answers the call anyways.

_”Yunho?!”_

That- that isn’t Hongjoong... that isn’t Hongjoong at all...

“Hyung?”

Seonghwa’s voice is scratchy and muffled through the phone, and Yunho can’t smell his scent, he can’t feel his skin but even so just hearing his voice... it brought color back to his vision, lifted a mountain of weight off his shoulders.

_“Oh Yunho...”_ Seonghwa sounds relieved, happy and sad all at the same time. _“Yunho I’m... oh... I’m so sorry, puppy...”_ Seonghwa says after a second. _“I’m too late, aren’t I?”_

“No!” Yunho exclaims immediately. “Hyung... Hyung I’m just happy to hear you again, that’s all I really need... you aren’t too late for anything...” He insisted, because as much as it would have been so much smoother to have Seonghwa’s voice guiding him during his rut... it felt like this was his reward for making it through all by himself... like it’d been worth it after all. Yunho knew he’d go through a thousand ruts if it meant being able to see Seonghwa again, to have him in his life again... “I had some help too... Yeosang’s boyfriend got me some stuff that really helped.”

_”Jongho?”_ Seonghwa sounds surprised. _”Really? That’s... that’s great, puppy...”_

Yunho smiles to himself. “Even better now that I can hear you.” He says, voice sweet. “But... wait how did you know I was having a rut?”

Seonghwa laughs, probably out of anxiety. _”Thats... my wrist started to hurt in the park a few hours ago...”_ He explains. _”I could... this is going to sound crazy but- I could hear your voice, pup. You were calling out for me and- and I just knew right away. I knew you needed me.”_ Yunho’s breath is caught in his throat as Seonghwa continues. _”But I didn’t get to you in time...”_

“No, Hyung... Hyung that happened to me too.” Yunho breaths out excitedly, tail almost wagging, the reality of the pain from a few hours ago completely forgotten now that Seonghwa was talking to him. “Hyung my wrist started to hurt a few hours ago too right near my rut... and then- and then I could smell- the scent of roses.”

_”The scent of peaches.”_ Seonghwa says at the same time. 

Both of them are silent for a second, fully processing everything that’s just been said when Yunho suddenly exclaims. “Hyung do we have like, that twin telepathy thing?”

Seonghwa’s end of the line is quiet for a moment before there’s laughter. _”Yunho what the fuck?”_

“You know like that thing that twins do where they can read each other’s minds and stuff? Expect we’re not twins so... that’s kind of weird...” Yunho thinks to himself. “Should I look it up?”

_”Later, pup... you can do it later I’ve actually... ive actually got a lot of things to talk to you about...”_

“Where are you right now, Hyung?” Yunho leaned back in bed. “How are you talking to me... wait why are you on Hongjoong’s phone?” Yunho feels his heart beat faster involuntarily when he thinks of the tabby boy... and Seonghwa being close to him. He knew Seonghwa wasn’t with him like that anymore but that didn’t stop his alpha from getting jealous.

_”He let me use his phone to call you. When I started hurting... he took me back to his dorm.”_ Seonghwa giggles. _”Are you jealous?”_ Yunho could tell the older boy must be secretly enjoying this from his tone.

“N- no... of course I’m not jealous.” Yunho lies. He’d probably always be jealous of Hongjoong and Seonghwa’s closeness even just as friends... even if it was a healthy amount of protectiveness Yunho still felt silly.

Seonghwa giggles even more, a twinkling, sweet sound in Yunho’s ears. He clears his voice, getting a bit more serious after that. _“Yunho... I know this might be too much to ask right now, but...”_

“What is it, Hyung?” Yunho asked earnestly.

Seonghwa sounds unsure when he asks. _“Would it be possible for me to stay with you for awhile? It doesn’t have to be for long just... if I can sort things out with my parents I’ll be out but-“_

“Hyung...” Yunho interrupts. “Of- of course you can stay with us, Seonghwa all I want is to see you right now... you can live with us forever if you want.” Yunho smiles to himself. “Why would you think we couldn’t have you over?”

_“Well.. I know you’re eomma is busy with work and all...”_

“And she’d be overjoyed to have someone else helping around the house... Hyung you’re a clean freak, don’t you think my eomma would love having you around?” He pointed out. Seonghwa had always been unable to sleep or make food in a messy environment, he’d often talked about how it physically made him cringe when he saw people litter or throw things on the ground. His eomma coming home to a pristine house, especially since Yunho often forgot to tidy up, would be a blessing in her eyes.

_“I- I guess... are you sure, pup?”_ Seonghwa asks once again, unsure of himself.

“As sure as I’ve ever been, Hyung.”

_______

When Seonghwa came back from Hongjoong’s dorm, he stood in front of his house like some kind of creep, wondering if it was worth going inside at all. Shouldn’t he just run away? What would happen if he did? There was no way in hell... after what just happened... there was no way he’d be able to spend one more day in this house with those people, no way he’d be able to go through the steps of the day pretending to the people around him 

The cat hybrid prepares a mental list of the essentials he’d take with him to Yunho’s. His big backpack could stuff a few pairs of clothes, his toiletries, and his polar bear plushie in it if he packed it in tight. It was just the matter or getting out of the house without conflict from his parents. Seonghwa knew he’d feel bad about not telling his eomma where he was going too... he knew how much she worried about him.

“Your eomma tells me you were at the library, Hwa.” That’s the first thing Seonghwa hears when he clicks the door shut behind him, eyes going to the large, sectional couch in the living room where his mamma is leant against the cushions reading a newspaper. His eomma sounds busy in the kitchen, rushing out to the table to set some plates out. It looks like an idealized stock image of the perfect nuclear family, the perfect dynamic. Except when Seonghwa enters the picture, never having fit into that mold whatsoever. Never wanting to.

“I had to return a few books...” He lies, feeling bad about it immediately after her does. He promised himself he wouldn’t lie anymore, not to himself or anyone else. He was already breaking that promise it seemed. Seonghwa turns to go down the hall and gather his things in his backpack, say goodbye to his eomma on the way out, but his mamma stops him, holding up a hand and gesturing him to sit down on the couch. Seonghwa reluctantly does as she says.

“We’re going to meet the Lee’s youngest daughter tomorrow.” His mamma said, not looking up from her newspaper. “An eligible young tom and the latest in a long line of purebred angoras much like yourself. I sincerely hope it goes smoothly, dear.” A fucking... another matchmaking thing? So soon after they’d cut him off from Yunho?

“I- what?” Seonghwa says, on edge. “You can’t be serious, mamma.”

“Seonghwa don’t try to argue with me right now... your mother is cooking dinner, why don’t you go help her?” Seonghwa then and there felt like... a fucking idiot. How exactly did he come to the conclusion it’d be possible to get out of here conflict-free? He didn’t know. Either way the cat hybrid figured that as long as he was leaving anyways, there was no point in cooperating.

“You can’t force me to be happy with someone, mamma.” He said lowly to her, standing his ground.

“Actually, I can and will.” She persists, still not looking Seonghwa in the eye. “You two will have a lifetime to get to know each other, I’m sure this union will bring not only you, but also our family, happiness.”

Happiness? How could they ever expect Seonghwa to be happy when they just took him away from the one person he cared about most in this world? How could they force him into a union with someone he hardly knew? To turn him into a baby machine and get her perfect little purebred grandchildren she’s always wanted, have a new generation of young ones to enforce her ideals and beliefs onto? 

“You will thank me when you’re older.” She says then dismissively, flicking her tail and resuming reading the newspaper, one leg crossed over the other. And that was the spark that sent Seonghwa’s anger spiraling out of control.

“What- what is it in you that still thinks you’ve got control over me?! That you can dictate any aspect of my life as if you’re living _through_ me?” Seonghwa rises from his seat on the couch. “None of this- none of this. _shit_ has ever meant anything to me, not one bit of it.. so why must you keep forcing me into your idea or the perfect marriage?”

“You will never be a part of this family of you continue to disregard our status.” His mamma fires back, putting down her newspaper and glaring up at him, ears pinned back.

“If my relationship with Yunho is what determined that...” Seonghwa meets his mamma’s gaze with an equally cold glare. “Then I have not been a part of this family for a long time.” And having had the last word, Seonghwa turns around and makes his way towards the door, with only his mamma’s outraged face watching him go.

Seonghwa can hear his eomma begging, pleading with him not to walk away as he marched out the door, tail held high. His mamma is silent, and stays that way even as his eomma begins to yell at her, screaming that this was all her fault and... Seonghwa doesn’t even care. 

When Seonghwa came up to the edge of the sidewalk, night sky looming over him, a starless, cloudy night, he can still hear the sounds of his parents shouting blaring in his head, arguing over him, going back and forth, never coming to meet in the middle. The cat hybrid thinks this must have been the first time they’ve fought, like really actually _fought_ in the entire time Seonghwa’s been alive. And he doesn’t even care. Not one bit.

His mamma can have her family, have her perfect little child in her mind, raise him to be the most proper queen, who they could marry off to a fitting young tom they approved of. That child would complete their trinity and carry on the family traditions, raise a perfect, purebred family of his own. That child was not, had never been Seonghwa.

And that’s what Seonghwa keeps in mind the entire bus ride to Yunho’s house, trying to calm himself down, trying to listen his inner thoughts. You did the right thing.

You did the right thing.

They’re gone now, and he can be with Yunho. Away from his parents, away from society, away from his status, away from everyone who has ever hurt him or Yunho because of their friendship, because of their relationship. As far as Seonghwa cares, his mamma can waste away at her twisted ideals for the rest of her life. Seonghwa wanted no part in them. And until they were willing to change the criteria of the ‘perfect family’, he wouldn’t come back. Not ever.

Yunho’s house has a warm glow coming from the porch with the little string lights, and though the curtains are drawn Seonghwa can see shapes moving in the kitchen, and the living room... Seonghwa knocks on the door slowly. It’s just then he realizes he has absolutely no clothes, no toothbrush, no shampoo, no plushie... why did he choose to fight with his parents again?

“Seonghwa, darling...” Yunho’s eomma smiles warmly at the cat hybrid when she opens the door for him. “We haven’t seen you over in a while, have we... come in, I’ll heat up some tteokbokki.” Yunho’s eomma always kept leftovers in the fridge in case Seonghwa was over, ever since he was young.

The cat hybrid smiles back appreciatively, following the woman into the house. It smells like cookies and just... food in general and there’s so many pictures lining the shelves of Yunho’s appa, floppy golden ears so similar to Yunho’s, and their family all together. Seonghwa feels instantly more at ease upon entering. “Thank you Ms Jeong... I’m sorry for the... sudden company.” Seonghwa looks briefly around the main room to see if there’s any sign of his best friend, but to no avail. “Is Yunho here?”

“Yunho’s upstairs preparing the guest room.” She explains. So it seems they already must have discussed Seonghwa staying there for awhile. But had Yunho told her about their... new developments yet? He must not have... Seonghwa would have expected a much bigger reaction even if he was sure his eomma would react far more positive than his own parents. Yunho’s eomma continues, taking the glass container out of the fridge. “It’s a bit embarrassing for him I think, but I figure I should tell you.” The woman giggles. “Yunho’s got a boyfriend coming over tonight.”

“He... he does?” So that’s what Yunho had told her? He must have been pretty vague about it too since... she appears to have no idea that.. that Seonghwa is the person Yunho was talking about. The idea that him and the pup could be dating probably never crossed her mind, never entered the potential suitor list. 

Wait... Yunho had... Yunho had referred to Seonghwa as his boyfriend. His fucking _boyfriend_. Seonghwa didn’t pretend his heart didn’t do a little- well not a little, actually it was more like a giant, thundering thing when he fully processed that. Him and Yunho were _boyfriends_. Never in a million years could he have imagined not two weeks ago that those words would ever come out of his best friends mouth but... but they had. And Yunho had meant them. Meant everything that came with them. 

“But don’t tell him I said that.” Yunho’s eomma looks over the moon, rightfully so Seonghwa figures. Yunho’s never liked, never dated anyone. Or at least... Seonghwa had thought Yunho had never liked anyone. Until he realized that the reason why was that Yunho had feelings for him the entire time and that prevented him from pursuing anyone else.

Yunho’s eomma asks Seonghwa how prom was, if he had a good time at the fair. Seonghwa says him and Yunho had a blast, that it was one of the best nights of his life. He wasn’t lying... it _had_ been the best night of his life, just the most painful one as well. She asks him how his parents have been afterwards. Seonghwa just says they’re being pushy and she doesn’t try to ask any more questions after that. Yunho’s parents had always been aware of Seonghwa’s strained family relationship, but had never tried to confront the cat hybrid about it. But they had always provided Seonghwa with what he considered to be his second home for many years, and for that he was forever grateful.

All the thoughts surrounding Seonghwa’s mind disappear when Yunho walks down the stairs, holding a couple of blankets in his arms. “Eomma I tried finding the extra pillow covers but they’re not-“ He freezes when he meets eyes with Seonghwa, eyes saying so much to each other from across the room. Yunho’s cheeks are red from cleaning and his hair is slightly messed up. Seonghwa wants so badly to groom the younger boy.

“S- Seonghwa Hyung...” Yunho breathes out, eyes searching the older boy as if he’s unsure wether or not Seonghwa is an illusion or not. Seonghwa can feel his heart warming up as his eyes meet Yunho’s. Even if it had only been about a week... it had felt like years that they were away from each other. 

“Lots of guests tonight, right Yunho?” Yunho’s eomma remarks, smiling knowingly at her son, breaking the tension between the two boys as they both turn towards her. Right, Seonghwa thinks to himself. Yunho’s eomma doesn’t know... but if Yunho told her his ‘boyfriend’ was coming over then... he must want to tell her. Or come up with some kind of plan to evade doing so. 

But everything in Seonghwa’s heart, all the questioning glances he keeps throwing at the taller boy all come to a halt when Yunho clears his throat, setting the sheets on the stairs, walking over next to Seonghwa and facing his eomma. “Eomma I think...” He pauses, looking down at the cat hybrid. “I think I should tell you something.” 

His eomma looks at the two of them confusedly. “What is it? Is there something wrong?” Seonghwa isn’t surprised in the slightest. Him and Yunho had been dancing around each other for... years now. And even they hadn’t considered the idea of a romantic relationship until this year. It was a learning curve for everyone around them. He just hoped she would take it better than... better than his own parents had.

“Eomma...” Yunho brings Seonghwa closer to him, wrapping an arm around the cat hybrid to his waist and turning to look into his eyes. Seonghwa was scared but... he gave Yunho a small nod, indicating he wanted the truth to be out. He was done hiding himself and Yunho from the world. Especially to someone so important to the younger boy. “Meet my boyfriend... Seonghwa.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmm... wonder if Seonghwa can ever find peace with his parents? and how exactly will yunho’s eomma react? and what’s up with that wrist thing, huh... 
> 
> i’ve been brainstorming what to write after this fic is over... it’s definitely gonna be more yunhwa but i was wondering wether to write another hybrid au (a lot darker this time trust me) or a different sort of au... if you have any feedback pls let me know in the comments! 
> 
> hope you all enjoyed!! and also hope everyone is feeling well fed and happy today! take care of yourselves <3


	19. Starlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> drumroll please... chapter nineteen!! sorry for the late update AGAIN. hopefully ill be able to get out a double update or something soon for make up for it like i promised...
> 
> hope you all enjoy!! it’s a domestic one~ <3

“I... I don’t understand.” Yunho’s eomma stutters over her words, looking at the couple with a bewildered expression. “You said that...”

“That my boyfriend was going to stay at our house for awhile.” Yunho completes her sentence firmly but still staying calm and civil even so. They didn’t know how his eomma would take the news after she fully processed it... even if Yunho had known and trusted her his whole life, he had never discussed this sort of topic with his parents, hadn’t even considered the possibility himself for so long. “Seonghwa is my boyfriend, eomma.”

Seonghwa looked up at Yunho worriedly, eyes big with fear for his eomma’s reaction. Yunho squeezed the older boy’s side slightly and touched his nose to the top of his head briefly in comfort. 

Yunho’s eomma looked back up at the couple. “That’s...” Her eyes are glossy with tears. “That’s so wonderful, you two..” She smiles at both of them, putting a hand to her heart and nodding as if in approval. Seonghwa lets out a breath of relief next to Yunho, laughing a bit to himself. The pup can feel himself tearing up as he did.

“Eomma...” Yunho blinks tears out of his eyes, moving away from Seonghwa to embrace her. “Eomma... thank you...” He squeezes her tight as he could without crushing her, wagging his tail happily.

“For what, darling?” She asks, doing her best to squeeze her son just as tight.

“For- for everything....” The pup sniffles, voice shaking. “I wasn’t sure... I didn’t know if you’d be okay with- with us...” Yunho responds, pulling back from the hug and looking down at his eomma who’s crying as much as he is at this point. 

“How could I not..? You’re my son, I’ll always accept you as you are.” She smiles back at him, voice filled with emotion. Yunho feels like he might just have a breakdown right then and there, a good one obviously. He feels like him and Seonghwa have gotten nothing but judgement thrown their way in the last week, having to hide themselves from the rest of the world for their safety. It felt... amazing to finally be seen and accepted, and by one of the people he loved the most at that. 

Yunho pulls his eomma into another hug after that, feeling more tears coming on. He almost feels like a puppy again, being comforted by his parents after a frightening thunderstorm. His eomma just stands with him, rocking the pup from side to side comfortingly. Yunho almost forgot at that point that Seonghwa was even there.

Yunho turned around, retracting himself from his eomma and turned to meet Seonghwa’s eyes which were now glossy with tears as well. The cat hybrid wiped his face with the back fo his hand. “Don’t- don’t look at me pup... it’s just a bug in my eye, that’s all.” He laughs softly.

Yunho just pulls Seonghwa in close, as he hadn’t gotten to be intimate with him since they were separated a week ago, and whines slightly into his shoulder, letting his tears fall there. Seonghwa purrs back the best he can, seeming to be relieved as well with his eomma’s positive reaction. The cat hybrid kisses Yunho’s neck and curls his tail around the taller boy, holding him there while the pup’s eomma looks on in fascination.

“You two..” She laughs a bit. “I’m a fool, aren’t I... for not seeing it sooner.”

Yunho can feel Seonghwa laugh sadly as his eomma wraps her arms around both of them, completing the group hug. And the three of them stay like that for more than a minute at least, taking in all that had just happened. Yunho finally, finally felt seen and respected for who he loved. And he was sure Seonghwa felt that way as well.

“You.” Yunho’s eomma takes her son by the sleeve after they’ve separated. “Have got some major explaining to do, young man.” 

“Eomma! Hyung just got here we need to rest!” Yunho protests, struggling as he’s dragged over to the dining table near the kitchen, where his eomma sits him down. She takes the tteokbokki out from the microwave and pours it into a proper bowl, setting it down and inviting Seonghwa to sit while Yunho looked on in confusion. “Eomma are you angry at me? I didn’t even know I liked Seonghwa until a week ago... I would have told you before but I was afraid!”

“A week ago?!” She exclaims, eyebrows raising in bewilderment. “You two are even more foolish than me! How did you _just_ realize you liked each other?!” Honestly... that was still a question Yunho himself was grappling with. He couldn’t even begin to answer it to another person.

“It’s a long... long story.” Seonghwa says, tapping his chopsticks against the table absentmindedly. “But Ms. Jeong... I’m sorry if this is rude to ask but... how was it you accepted us this quickly..?”

“I will admit...” She sits down in a seat next to the two. “When Yunho told me he was having a boyfriend over... I was not expecting him to be a feline, much less you, Seonghwa.” She continues. “I had to grasp the idea for a second there... you don’t see couples like you two on tv now do we?” She smiles at the both of them. 

Yunho nods his head, looking down at the table. Even he had fallen victim to the social norms ingrained into their lives since they were young. It had kept the very idea that him and Seonghwa could never be together from making it past the conscious part of his brain. The dog hybrid thinks that if he had met Seonghwa later, perhaps in middle school when the bullying was worst, he might not have even become friends with the cat hybrid.

“But you’re my son.” His eomma says affectionately. “And Seonghwa darling, you might as well be at this point. I don’t know a lot about... these types of relationships. But I want to learn. From both of you.” She finishes. Yunho looks at Seonghwa and the cat hybrid might as well have stars in his eyes.

“Thank you... Ms. Jeong. You have no idea how much that means to me... to us right now.” Yunho can hear the happiness in Seonghwa’s voice, along with the underlying sadness that his own parents were less than friendly towards the idea of their son being with a canine. Yunho wants to hold Seonghwa close as he can to him in that moment... pick up where they left off and do everything in his power to comfort the older boy, make him feel loved after going through a traumatic experience like that... 

Seonghwa scarfs down his meal like he hasn’t eaten in weeks, scraping every last bit from inside the bowl while Yunho tries to explain to his eomma how him and Seonghwa figured out they liked each other, from beginning to end. 

Seonghwa chimed in every once and awhile, giggling at Yunho’s hesitancy when it came to talking about his rut. His eomma just laughed it off, saying it was the right thing to do, that it would have been painful had Seonghwa not stepped in to help the pup. Yunho knew, oh he knew at this point. The dog hybrid could still feel the leftover nerves buzzing through him from the experiment earlier that day... good thing he has stunted it with Jongho’s help.

When it came time to talk about recent events, Yunho treaded lightly while explaining the situation with Seonghwa’s parents, noticing the way the older boy’s ears droop at the subject. Once Seonghwa explains how his parents feel about their relationship, how they’ve always seemed to feel around it, Yunho’s eomma gives Seonghwa a warm, loving hug, wanting to give the boy some... parental validation he’d never gotten before. The cat hybrid purrs and lets himself be held like a baby by the doting mother.

Seonghwa excuses himself from the table, asking to use the shower upstairs when the pup is done telling their story. Yunho gets up as well, intending on joining Seonghwa but is stopped by his eomma, asking him to stay behind, that she needs to talk to him alone.

“You’re being safe, I hope?” She says as soon as Seonghwa’s up the stairs.

“What do you mean..?” Yunho laughs, face changing to one of embarrassment as he realizes what his eomma is implying. “Eomma...” He groans, covering his face with his hands. He hadn’t thought they’d be having _this_ conversation so early on in his and Seonghwa’s relationship.

“I hope you’re taking this seriously, Yunho. I don’t want to get a call from Seonghwa’s parents saying you got their son pregnant...” She gives him a sly look and Yunho goes red immediately, scrunching up into a little ball in the chair. 

“Eomma... We’re being safe I promise!” He protests. “Besides, me and Seonghwa Hyung... we cant have babies, eomma, you know that right?”

“You can’t?” His eomma gives him a skeptical look. “Are you sure about that?”

Yunho thinks back to the day after his first rut when he’d had a panic over accidentally knocking his best friend up when Seonghwa had quickly shoved an article on his phone in the pup’s face stating all tests had been ‘negative’. “I’m sure. I mean Hyung would be showing signs by now if it _was_ possible...”

His Eomma seems like she doesn’t fully believe him. “Okay, Yunho... please be safe though, honey... it’s never too careful to use protection.” She reminds him. Yunho feels bad after that, knowing full well him and Seonghwa hadn’t been using protection whatsoever. He should really go and buy some knotting condoms while the older boy was staying with them...

“I will, eomma... thank you for looking out for us.” He rubbed his neck in guilt, looking off to the side of the table. 

His eomma just smiles back at him and leans forward to give her son a kiss on the forehead. “Be careful, Yunho. The world isn’t going to be kind to either of you should you be careless... but I hope you know I will always support you in whatever path you choose in life, sweetheart.”

Yunho whines softly. “I love you, eomma.” He means it really... he wasn’t sure he’d have nearly as much hope for him and Seonghwa’s future had she not shown her support. Now it really felt like they had a chance at maybe convincing the cat hybrid’s parents to come around somehow.

“Love you too, son. Now go be with your boyfriend.” She pats Yunho on the head and hurries him up the stairs.

Yunho excitedly runs up the steps, turning the corner and barging into his bedroom to see Seonghwa scrolling through his phone, a towel wrapped around his form on Yunho’s bed, damp tail flopped over to his side. The cat hybrid’s ears perk up and his eyes fill with gentle affection when they land on Yunho, purring at the boy. “Hi, puppy...” 

Yunho sits at the foot of the bed and lays his head on Seonghwa’s lap, whining at the taller boy until the cat hybrid coos gently at him and begins to stroke his hair, fingers gently touching the pup’s floppy ears. “Hyung... thank you...”

“I should be the one thanking your eomma... I should have never doubted her honestly. I guess I’m used to... the parental bar being on the ground at this point.” Seonghwa laughs. “Can I borrow a shirt? Just to sleep in...”

Yunho immediately jumps to his feet, hurrying over the the drawers of his dresser and picking out one of his softest white t-shirts, one of his favorites for sleeping in. The older boy says thanks before the pup turns to grab some pajamas for himself, quickly changing in the corner, faced away from Seonghwa.

Yunho blushes tomato-red when Seonghwa just drops his bath towel right then and there, rumpling into a pile on the floor of the pup’s bedroom, leaving every inch of his tanned skin exposed for Yunho’s poor eyes. The cat hybrid turns around coyly and giggles when he sees Yunho, covering his eyes but still looking through his fingers at Seonghwa’s toned body, acting like he had never laid eyes on the older boy naked. “Should I have changed in the closet?” 

“N- no... it’s fine Hyung...” 

Seonghwa just laughs affectionately and continues to pull on his underwear, slipping into Yunho’s white tee before the pup’s eyes can linger on his skin for too long. The shirt is already a little oversized on the dog hybrid so it completely swallows up Seonghwa’s form, drooping off to the side and exposing his collarbone, going down to his mid thigh. Yunho covers his mouth to prevent himself from squealing because his Hyung looks so so _cute_ and pretty in his t-shirt. 

Yunho can feel his alpha instincts jumping in glee at the fact Seonghwa will probably smell like him and he’ll smell like Seonghwa after tonight... he doesn’t try to suppress the feeling.

“Were you gonna use the guest room?” Yunho asks. It’s a dumb question, but Yunho had figured Seonghwa might want some space after basically running away from home, away from semi-abusive (in his opinion) parents.

Seonghwa tilts his head at Yunho and walks towards him, putting his hands on the pup’s shoulders. “I want to be near you, Yunho.”

Yunho brought the cat hybrid closer, close as he possibly could be and even then fleeing like it wasn’t enough. He cradled Seonghwa there, slowly tilting both him and the boy curled up into him back and forth. “How are you feeling, Hyung...? After everything that just happened.” The separation, Yunho’s rut etc. The pup didn’t even know what might have happened while he wasn’t there, the conflict Seonghwa must have had with his parents. And even before getting here... there must be a reason Seonghwa hadn’t brought anything. “Did... your parents didn’t kick you out did they?”

Seonghwa sighed against the taller boy. “No... I walked out on them.” He says softly. “I said they had no right to control me, I wasn’t a part of their plan, had never been. I chose you.” He buried his nose into Yunho’s collarbone, tightening his hold on the pup. “I didn’t get to bring my plushie though...” He giggles.

“But are you okay?” Yunho pulled Seonghwa from his chest to look the older boy in the eyes. Seonghwa looks tired... they should get to sleep soon. 

“I’m... happy right now.” Seonghwa says, unsure. “And angry...”

“At your parents...” Yunho says, not meaning for it to be a question, just an acknowledgement. But Seonghwa shakes his head.

“No... well yeah, I’m angry at them but... it’s more like I’m angry at the whole world at this point.” The cat hybrid laughs slightly. “For making me feel guilty about wanting you.” He finishes, smiling up at the taller boy and seeming to bask in his presence. Yunho felt his heart hammering to get out of his chest, as if trying to break through his skin and somehow get even closer to Seonghwa. 

Yunho kissed Seonghwa gently, feeling the smaller boy’s plush lips against his, soft like the petals of a blooming flower, sweet like honey. Seonghwa just let his lips open ever so slightly, eyes closing and letting Yunho’s tongue dip past. It’s a lazy, gentle kiss, not intent on going anywhere, not caring wether or not it did. Just content to exist in each other’s presence without shame, without judgment. He holds Seonghwa’s hand, the same hand that has their ribbons bound around their wrists, matching so perfectly.

Seonghwa backed himself and Yunho into the bed, collapsing into the mattress as the pup lapped slowly into his mouth, tail wagging as he ran his eyes lazily down the older boy’s body below him. Seonghwa nipped slightly at the dog hybrid’s lower lip, drawing a contented sigh out of him. “We need to talk about... about things...” The cat hybrid purred. “About us.”

Yunho whined, not in the mood to take things seriously. “Let’s sleep on it, Hyung.” Seonghwa giggled and nodded, pulling Yunho over to his side but not before reaching back to squeeze the taller boy’s ass cheek playfully, purring when Yunho yelped softly. 

Seonghwa continued to situate Yunho so that the pup had his back facing the cat hybrid’s chest, so he could wrap around the taller boy, curling his now-dry tail around as well. Yunho places his hand over Seonghwa’s and wills time and space to let them be, let them have this moment, not to interrupt them just for tonight.

And for once, the universe seems to listen.

“Goodnight, pup...” Seonghwa purrs into his ear. Yunho feels the older boy’s tail coil around his thigh and he hums into the touch.

“Goodnight... starlight...” Yunho murmurs back, not even registering the nickname in his head before he nods off. But the way Seonghwa’s breath catches after that indicates that he had, he definitely had.

And they were going to be fine, just fine.

_______

The next day early morning, Yunho wakes up to Seonghwa’s deep breathing right up against his chest, rising and falling in tandem with his own. They must have moved in the night so that Seonghwa was half on top of Yunho, and the pup couldn’t find himself minding whatsoever. The older boy was on the lighter side, and seeing Seonghwa’s cheek smushed up on Yunho’s chest, mouth slightly open and eyelashes so soft and fanning out on his skin... it made the pup’s heart do a thing. A really, really nice thing, one that was deepened and longing, knowing that he’d be able to wake up to Seonghwa just like this every morning hopefully for the summer.

There’s soft golden sunlight filtering through the curtains in Yunho’s room at this hour, cascading onto the pair like they’re bathing in sunflowers. Seonghwa’s skin on his face looks like it’s glowing in the lighting, his lips tinted and slightly chapped from the night. Yunho can’t help kissing the cat hybrid on the nose, trying to keep himself from giggling when Seonghwa’s ear flicks a bit afterwards. 

Yunho moved slightly to try and get Seonghwa off of him without waking the cat hybrid, but Seonghwa blinks awake as soon as he does, looking up at Yunho confusedly and then instantly turning into a little purrball when he realizes where he is. “G’morning, puppy...”

“Rise and shine, Hyung.” Yunho says back, giggling down at his Hyung now that he can. “You’re tired today...” He remarks, referencing how Seonghwa was normally up pretty early as a habit. Seonghwa mumbles absentmindedly, bringing his hands up to smooth over the rest of Yunho’s chest. The pup glances at the little baby blue ribbon there, a brand of sorts. At least he’d like to think of it like that. A claim shared by both of them, one that had held them together for so long now.

“I just slept so well... hard to get up.” Seonghwa’s body vibrates gently against the boy below him, sending small ripples of content through the pup’s nerves. Yunho loves the feeling of Seonghwa’s body tangled up with his, so close...

“Well you’re going to have to for me to open the curtains...” Seonghwa doesn’t protest when Yunho gently rolls out from under the older boy, untangling his legs from the cat hybrid’s and discarding himself from the sheets. Yunho pulls up the curtains just a bit to let the light spill into the room and cranks the window open the slightest amount, birdsong entering his hearing. 

When he looks back down at Seonghwa, the cat hybrid is still sprawled out on his stomach, stretching under Yunho’s eyes, arching his back against the mattress and purring gently. The older boy’s tail comes up to curl next to him and Seonghwa is just... so much in that moment. His deep morning voice, smooth bare legs stretched out against the white sheets, slightly hooded sleepy eyes gazing at Yunho with purpose... The pup isn’t sure how Seonghwa managed to be so hot and so cute at the same time.

Yunho shakes his head. Focus. He’s going to be a good boyfriend to Seonghwa, might as well start now. “I’m gonna make pancakes for us, Hyung. Just sit tight, sleep as much as you want.” He assures the older boy. But Seonghwa wasn’t having any of that.

The cat hybrid seems to wake up fully right in an instant, getting to his feet. “Oh no you don’t... you’re not burning another one of those pans I swear... I’m cooking, got it pup?” Yunho whines at the older boy, bumping his forehead against Seonghwa’s and pretending to be upset, pouting. Seonghwa sighs and gives Yunho a kiss on the cheek, lingering his face there to brush against the dog hybrid’s skin. “You can help me, okay puppy?”

Yunho’s pout turned to a smile immediately, tail wagging behind him.

A few minutes later Yunho is downstairs sitting at the dinner table in his pajamas, watching Seonghwa measure up ingredients and whisk up the pancake batter, demonstrating to Yunho how the batter needed _not_ to be smooth for the pancakes to taste good. The cat hybrid is still wearing the same oversized t-shirt with his eomma’s kitchen apron tied over it, but with a pair of shorts now instead of just underwear, in case Yunho’s eomma came down the stairs.

Seonghwa let Yunho flip the pancakes when all the bubbles had reached the surface of the batter and giggled when the pup accidentally flopped them on top of each other. By the fifth pancake Yunho assumed he was a pro at this flipping thing, Seonghwa cheering him on enthusiastically and giving the dog hybrid a kiss on the nose when he flipped one perfectly. 

“You’re adorable, you know that?” Seonghwa comments once Yunho was mid-bite into his first pancake. The pup feels himself blushing and taps his Hyung’s foot under the table. 

“You flatter me, Hyung... I bet you say that to all the poor pups out there... so honored I’m the chosen one.” He says wistfully, batting his eyelashes at Seonghwa like they’re two leads in a drama. Speaking of... him and Seonghwa should go to the movie theaters sometime soon, experiment the classic dating scenario or whatever.

Seonghwa laughs. “You act like I’m some sort of... bonafide bad boy or something...” He mutters as he pours syrup over his own stack of pancakes.

“More of a tease than a bad boy...” Yunho comments.

Seonghwa tilts his head at the pup. “I need to know... how many times did you question yourself?” 

Yunho took another bite of the syrupy goodness... why was Seonghwa so good at cooking? “My... my sanity?” Yunho thinks back to that one dumb movie night at Choi San’s when Seonghwa had worn that monstrosity, performed something you might see at a strip club and almost made Yunho pop a boner... right before he got humiliated in front of all their friends. That night had been just... one disaster after the other.

“No... like... did you ever think you might like me before prom?” Seonghwa smiled gently at Yunho, who shrugs.

“I guess...” Yunho considers his thoughts. He had never really... his mind had been incapable of seeing a reality where him and Seonghwa could be together like this... and it’s had messed him up. Bad. “My brain... it like autocorrected itself or something. Like it basically wrote all over my feelings and labeled them as platonic, no matter how obvious it was.” Yunho stops eating to hold Seonghwa’s hand, pressing his thumb softly against the cat hybrid’s palm. “Hyung... I’ve liked you for... longer than I can even remember.” He admits. 

Seonghwa breathes in, slightly shaky. “All that time...” He whispers. “It’s like we’ve been dating for years and haven’t even been aware of it...” The older boy laughs.

Seonghwa was right... even if they had had their giant realization and confession moment at prom... it wasn’t like anything had changed. Actually nothing had changed, besides the lack of guilt, the way Yunho doesn’t feel ashamed of his feelings anymore. That and the fact they could be intimate and gross with each other now... but even that just felt like a natural progression of what they had before. 

“I wanted... I wanted to make up for that time.” Seonghwa continues. Yunho can feel tears forming... fuck. Why did he have to get emotional during breakfast of all times? “I want to be with you, give you all of my attention... Without the mess I made at your birthday... the mess I made by sleeping with Hongjoong...” A small tear rolls down Seonghwa’s cheek. “And the mess I made when I brought you over to my house...” The cat hybrid drooped his ears in shame, and Yunho’s heart breaks.

He doesn’t want Seonghwa to be sad because of him... he never wants to hurt Seonghwa, never wants to be the cause of his guilt or sadness... He’s been so scared of hurting the cat hybrid all this time even when he wasn’t aware of his feelings... he hadn’t realized Seonghwa might be scared of hurting him too. Yunho scoots over in his chair and nudges his Hyung’s neck, kissing the skin there and leaning back. “You’ve never hurt me, Hyung. Everything you’ve done has led to now, right? We may have tripped up along the way, both of us... but we’re together...”

Seonghwa doesn’t look quite convinced yet. “Yunho, puppy... you don’t-“ Seonghwa looks close to actually crying now. “You don’t even know... I’ve- that night you blacked out during your rut I...” Seonghwa trails off, not seeming to be able to speak anymore. Yunho doesn’t try and push him to either. 

“Eat, Hyung...” Seonghwa must still be feeling traumatized from yesterday’s incident... he should have made the older boy sleep in a bit longer. Maybe after breakfast they can cuddle some more upstairs. “Please.” Yunho says when Seonghwa looks like he’s about to protest. “We can talk later when we’ve cleared our heads, Hyung.”

Seonghwa wipes his eyes with the t-shirt he’s wearing and nods, calming down a bit, sniffling quietly as Yunho leans the older boy on his shoulder, burying his nose in the cat hybrid’s dark hair. He hopes Seonghwa can... work through everything that’s bothering him, haunting him from when he was young... Yunho knows some of the stuff imprinted on the older boy has to last, considering it was inflicted upon him by his own parents. 

Yunho’s eomma comes down from her room a few minutes later and gladly shares their meal, happy to have someone else cooking for a change. Seonghwa, fully recovered, writes the recipe down and puts it up on the fridge when his eomma urges him to. 

And as Yunho had hoped, the moment his eomma is off to go to work, him and Seonghwa scamper upstairs and spend most of the rest of the day tangled up in each other, sharing their combined body warmth, talking about how they’ll break the news to their friends. 

Seonghwa is grooming Yunho’s hair, leant up against the pillows when his eyes brighten up. “Pup! I almost forgot... didn’t I tell you I’d get someone to help us?” 

Yunho can vaguely recall Seonghwa telling him something like that over the phone yesterday... but no details had been given. “I think you said something...”

“Well.” Seonghwa looks excited now, tail swaying from side to side. “Apparently Hongjoong’s parents are pretty progressive according to him. He says they can help us find resources, meet more people like us... And to help our relationship, legal rights and stuff like that.” He pauses. “If it ever comes to that, of course...” Seonghwa clarifies, cheeks dusting pink the slightest bit. He had just implied him and Yunho might want to... get married in the future. Yunho wouldn’t be lying if he said he was over the moon at the mention of that.

“That sounds...” The dog hybrid starts.

“Like we might have a chance, pup.... like we can be ourselves together without worrying about separation!” Seonghwa’s ears are all perked up and his eyes are big and sparkly.

“It sounds... awesome.” Yunho says, breathing out in relief. He was also glad that it seemed like Hongjoong was supportive of their relationship... at least that was one person to check of the list of people who could... possibly react badly. 

That evening, Seonghwa and Yunho call Hongjoong and after a brief conversation, have a meeting set up with the tabby’s parents in just a few days. Yunho can’t believe this might actually be happening. He’s never met people like him and Seonghwa, never considered the idea there might be more couples like them, that they had a movement it seems. It seemed like their relationship was just getting started and things were already getting better and better.

The next day, Yunho wakes up in Seonghwa’s arms and is half sure it must be a dream, the gentle sound of Seonghwa’s heartbeat steadily thudding right next to him, bodies so close. It’s like he’s in heaven, might as well be at this point.

That day while Yunho’s eomma is at work, Seonghwa and Yunho work together to make a very much overstuffed strawberry roll cake that they practically inhale afterwards, nothing left for his poor eomma when she comes home later on. Yunho leaves out a little cupcake for her on the table as an apology in advance.

And when they stumble back upstairs that evening, lips coming and going from each other in tandem, caught in some sort of dance, Seonghwa presses Yunho against the wall of his room and demands the pup tell him exactly what he wanted, what he _needed_.

“Wanna see you...in your lace.” Yunho admits, letting himself be shoved around. Decked out, gift wrapped Seonghwa had been plaguing his fantasies for awhile now, only in his deepest dreams. To bring that image to reality.

“You want to see me in my lingerie, puppy?” Seonghwa teases. Yunho just nods, feeling shamelessly aroused at the moment with no need to try and hide it. Unfortunately Seonghwa didn’t have his undergarments collection at hand at the moment but... Yunho couldn’t stop thinking about how pretty Seonghwa would look in all those frills and lacy straps, how pretty he would _feel_ in them. Its a process but even so, Yunho fails to try and shove those images out of his brain.

Seonghwa insists on using a safeword this time, even if they had forgotten the practice in the midst of Yunho’s ruts. The pup chooses the word ‘rose’, another homage to the cat hybrids lovely scent.

A few minutes later, Seonghwa and Yunho are moaning desperately into each other’s mouths as Yunho rutted up, sliding between his Hyung’s ass cheeks, never slipping all the way inside. Yunho doesn’t have his full gusto enough to properly fuck him and... he’s been wary about that sort of thing lately, full-on intercourse he means. 

Even so, Yunho feels no shame when he slips out from between and comes all over Seonghwa’s thighs, whining into the cat hybrid’s ear. Seonghwa purred and wrapped his tail over and around Yunho’s calf in return, coming with a soft little squeak onto his own stomach.

“Why... why do male queens and omegas still have dicks?” Yunho drawls our mindlessly once they’re all cleaned and basking in the sunlight fading through the curtains once more.

“What kind of question is that?” Seonghwa laughs at his friend, rolling over onto his side to face the taller boy. 

“No, Hyung just think about it like when hybrid’s first developed, wouldn’t they technically be bred out over time? Or something....” Yunho can’t remember the exact science behind it... it’s an honest question. And he’s tired at this point, mind not quite working correctly. Seonghwa’s form is oh-so distracting really.

“Dunno. Cause they’re fun and cute, that’s why.” Seonghwa sticks his tongue out playfully.

Yunho suddenly blurts our excitedly like he’d just made a major discovery. “No, cause queens and omegas weren’t solely meant to carry and they’re just trying to enforce more bullshit onto the general public. Wooyoung said so.” Yunho says very matter-of-factly back at him.

Seonghwa giggled, grabbing Yunho’s arm and placing it around his own waist so that they’re facing cuddling each other. “Wooyoung might be onto something... but is this just you trying to get me to fuck you?”

Yunho knows it’s meant as a joke but he turns bright red even so, shielding his embarrassed face behind the covers just a bit. Yunho had woken up with Seonghwa’s morning wood pressing against his ass that morning... he wouldn’t lie and say he _hadn’t_ imagined that scenario once or twice in the moment... or the thought of them doing both in one sitting... fuck now he was just getting hard again.

“Need help with that?” Seonghwa purrs, palming at the pup’s length teasingly and sticking his tongue out. 

Yunho groans. “Please, Hyung...” 

And that night, after they’ve showered off and are once again in complete seclusion, with each other to keep company, Seonghwa asks Yunho tentatively. “Did you ever... did you ever in your ruts, think that I didn’t want you? Like really?” 

Yunho thinks back to the amount of pain and heartbreak he had felt that one time at Yeosang and Mingi’s dorm, how he had convinced himself that Seonghwa had really, truly abandoned him, that he had wronged him, made him upset. That Yunho had messed up. His heart aches just thinking about it, a reality where... where Seonghwa wasn’t there. Where Seonghwa didn’t want him. “I did.” Yunho says truthfully. “And it was... the worst pain I’ve ever... ever gone through I think.” He looks down at the cat hybrid in his arms who’s now shaking.

“I hope... during your next rut that I can make it right.” Seonghwa murmurs. “Help your alpha feel loved... I know it probably hasn’t felt that way in awhile right?” There’s more guilt tinged in the older boy’s voice and Yunho hates that.

“My alpha feels loved right now, Hyung.” Yunho says. One thing he’s learned about himself over the last few days is... his normal thoughts and alpha thoughts are not nearly as separated from each other as he thought.

“Please...” Seonghwa chokes out. “If I ever... if you ever don’t feel loved, _please_ tell me, puppy.” 

Yunho doesn’t know how he could ever feel unloved in Seonghwa’s presence. He whispers back. “Only if you agree to do the same, Hyung.”

“Promise.” Seonghwa whimpers. 

“I promise too.” Yunho says back.

Yunho didn’t even realize that they both had just indirectly admitted to loving each other.

______

Seonghwa and Yunho get breakfast at a cafe in town the next day, getting ready to take the bus over to Hongjoong’s place to have a talk with the other feline’s parents. Seonghwa just hopes deep inside of him that the tabby boy was right and that they could help him and Yunho find resources for... therapy probably was the first one. Another would be a good site for sex ed that wasn’t obviously biased... Seonghwa had made a list in his head of questions he wanted to ask them. Also what had been that wrist pain thing? Was that normal? There were too many questions to think of...

Yunho and Seonghwa were talking about Yunho’s classes he picked out for college when some guy walks right up behind their table and touched Seonghwa’s tail, like full-on pets it. Seonghwa jerks around and is met with the leering face of a cat hybrid who looks to be in his mid-20s, and is definitely a tom by the looks of his grin. And he doesn’t seem like backing down.

That is, until Yunho gets up from his seat and full-on growls at the guy, teeth bared and ears pinned like he’s ready to fight for Seonghwa. The cat hybrid is just starting to get worried about having to hold Yunho back when the other feline guy retreats back to the bar, evading Yunho’s guard-dog attitude.

The conflict seems to be resolved, but Seonghwa doesn’t miss the way Yunho goes out of his way to glare at the guy, staring the tom down easily and sending the guy with his tail between his legs to the other side of the cafe. 

The pair take the bus across town to the address Hongjoong sent him and eventually come up to a small town house with an orange roof and a lot of peculiar plants growing in the front yard. Also an anarchy flag hanging from the porch. Yep, definitely hongjoong’s parents.

“You’re early!” A short-haired cat hybrid lady with white ears who Seonghwa is assuming is Hongjoong’s mother answers the door. “Don’t just stand there you two, come inside!” 

The house is medium-sized, with no hongjoong in sight which made since as the other feline lived at the dorms, not with his parents. That reminded him, Seonghwa needed to work on getting a dorm room now that his parents were... out of the picture finally. There’s tons of pictures of Hongjoong at what looks like the age of ten, and then older and older as they continues through the house and come across more pictures. Cute, but what Seonghwa was really looking for was the baby pictures. Infant Hongjoong would have been the cutest baby, Seonghwa thinks.

“My wife is going to do most of the talking today..l she’ll be right out in a few. But could I get you two some drinks while we’re waiting?” Hongjoong’s mother offers, opening up the fridge in the next room.

When Seonghwa and Yunho are settled at their dining table, sodas in hand, that’s when Hongjoong’s other mom walks down the stairs to meet them.

The other Ms. Kim also looks... nothing like Hongjoong. She’s a Siamese hybrid for one, with big round eyes, and a long and slender physique. Basically the complete opposite of the scruffy, charming little tabby boy. _Oh_. Now the lack of baby photos was beginning to make sense. Hongjoong hadn’t mentioned being adopted at all but... now that Seonghwa thought about it why would he? It didn’t make a difference in the end wether his family was related by blood or not... Seonghwa knew that from experience as well.

“So you’re yunhwa, right?” She asks when they sit down at the table.

Seonghwa giggles. Yunhwa? Was that their ship name now? He liked it. “Yeah we’re... yunhwa I guess.”

The woman nods, smiling. “My son’s told me about you two.... he said you’ve got some questions for me?”

“If you don’t mind answering them...” Seonghwa said back, perking up his ears.

The woman took a pen out from her pocket along with a small notepad. “Is it alright if I write while we talk?”

“Not at all.”

First things first, Seonghwa and Yunho tell Hongjoong’s mother wether whole of their story together, from beginning to end. From their first meeting on the playground as kids to middle school and the discrimination they’d both faced, to Seonghwa’s realization in high school and so on. Ms. Kim takes in every bit of it, shaking her head in sadness every now and then, especially when it came to talking about Seonghwa’s parents. She provides a bit of perspective on what it’s like to raise a child with expectations in mind, that she went through it as well.

She gives Seonghwa the business card of one of her therapist friends who works whit their organization in providing therapy for victims of abuse and harassment... which Seonghwa feel she needs badly at the moment. Getting his thoughts and feelings out to someone who wouldn’t mind sounds like the best option for him in this time. She even says they could do couples therapy if they wanted, something Yunho looks nervous about but supportive of Seonghwa nonetheless.

Ms. Kim then invites the two of them to come to a gathering for the organization next month, a potluck of sorts, where they were going to discuss the preparations for... an upcoming festival? Seonghwa is once again astonished he had no idea these types of organizations existed.

Yunho asks her if they’d get to meet more people like them, who were canine-feline couples and when Ms. Kim confirms that, the pup looks like he might jump out of the seat with excitement, wagging his tail happily.

Lastly, Ms. Kim provides the two boys with some words of advice in life.

“I like to tell everyone I meet who tries and carves those sort of... lines in between hybrids like that. We’re all the same species at the end of the day... hybrid type has nothing to do with your inner workings as a functioning human. No matter what kind of ears or tails you have.” She clicks the back of her pen, setting it down in front of her with closure. “And that’s the truth everyone should live by.”

The other Ms. Kim comes out of the kitchen with a big plate of cookies after they’re done talking. Needless to say, they leave the meeting happy and well-fed, talking about the up and coming festival animatedly amongst each other when they get home, sprawled onto the couch in the living room. 

“Imagine a whole room full of canines and felines, Hyung! All together like us... that’d be so bizarre.” Yunho seems especially excited about the prospect of meeting new people. Seonghwa feels seeing more people like them, living their lives, maybe it might give him and Yunho more confidence in them not being anomalies.

“It’d be great.” Seonghwa sighed. “No more hiding from the world.”

“No more lies. Not to us or anyone else, Hyung.” Yunho says proudly, smiling up at his Hyung gratefully and Seonghwa leans down to press little kisses to the dog hybrid’s ears, his cheeks and nose, so puffy for no reason whatsoever other than to be cute.

“No more lies.” Seonghwa repeats back to him.

But he wasn’t telling the truth, not all the way at least. 

No more lies meant coming forward about everything, it meant facing up to your mistakes, and taking risks to tell the truth. And right now, something was still nipping at Seonghwa’s skin, reminding him of his dishonesty when it came to Yunho... and his rut. That one time Yunho had told him he loved him. And Seonghwa had basically rejected him. It didn’t hurt Yunho necessarily to have forgotten but... it did hurt Seonghwa knowing that he was keeping things from the younger boy.

Seonghwa can’t take it any more. The guilt has been eating up at him ever since he’d been reminded of it, the fact that he had never told Yunho the truth about that night. He was going to come clean. “Puppy...” Seonghwa says hesitantly. He can do this. “There’s something I need to tell you...”

Yunho’s ears perk up and his eyes go soft as he looks up at Seonghwa with affection. “What is it, Hyung?”

But before Seonghwa can speak, theres a small knock at the door. Shit. Why now of all times?

“Want me to get that?” Yunho asks, unaware of Seonghwa’s current internal struggle. Seonghwa shakes his head.

“I’ll get it puppy, just stay here.” Seonghwa gets up, slipping Yunho’s head off of his lap and waking across the room to open up the door. And the sight he’s met with... he could have never seen coming.

It’s his eomma. Carrying Seonghwa’s big white polar bear plushie he’d been sleeping with since he was a toddler... and the rose pendant Yunho had gotten him at the fair, clipped into the ear of the plushie where Seonghwa had last put it. His eomma looks... tired. And sorrowful.

“I- I thought you’d want this if you were staying away for awhile.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaah did all the fluff rot your brains? i sure hope so... it’s a well deserved break from the angst. 
> 
> thank you all so much for all the comments and kudos. i can’t believe this fic has gotten so much positivity over time, i am forever grateful for all of your support
> 
> thank you so much for reading!!!


	20. Date Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter twenty!! quite the milestone i’d say... we’ve come so far since i first started writing this fic...
> 
> i will continue to apologize for the late updates until i finally update earlier like i promised... time is running out before ill be able to do that with this fic tho...
> 
> hope you all enjoy!! <3

“Eomma...” Seonghwa didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what to think, what to do... just stand there like an idiot staring blankly at his mother like she was a ghost or something...

“Seonghwa, sweetheart.” She says, voice cracking slightly. It’s almost a reason to take pity on her. “If... if you want to just take your bear and leave, then I understand.” She understood? Since when did his parents understand anything Seonghwa did? Maybe his eomma had been the one to try and get to know him but... neither her nor his mamma had ever seemed to understand him. “But if you would let me... I have some things I think I should say to you.”

“Come in.” Seonghwa said plainly, moving aside to let his eomma through the door. She’s careful even with her steps, looking around warily like she wasn’t welcome here. Seonghwa walks up to Yunho holding a polar bear plushie under his arm, handing it over to Yunho once they’re inside.

Before Yunho can ask any questions however, Seonghwa quickly rushes over into the kitchen, leaving the pup to the mercy of their guest. Seonghwa’s eomma sits down at the rocking chair across from the couch, legs held together and nervously glancing around at the scenery of Yunho’s humble abode. The dog hybrid doesn’t make a move to talk, as he feels like she’d jump straight into the air in fear if he did. Seonghwa’s eomma seems mostly the same as their first meeting from what he could remember... albeit much less warm and sweet and much more on edge. Yunho feels sorry for her.

And likewise, she doesn’t try to talk to him. It seems Seonghwa’s eomma didn’t come here to flay Yunho on ‘how he’s been treating their baby’ on his other mother’s behalf. He’d been told over the course of his time with Seonghwa about how his mamma would become a different person when the topic was canines... how his eomma just sat and stayed silent.

Seonghwa returns to the room with a steaming mug, walking up to his eomma. “Wheres mamma?” He asks hesitantly, setting the tea down on the coffee table in front of her. She doesn’t move to drink it yet. 

Seonghwa sits down next to Yunho, who hasn’t moved an inch since he left. He squeezes the bear plushie to his chest and looks between Seonghwa and his eomma confusedly, hoping the cat hybrid would get the idea and explain. Seonghwa doesn’t try to explain, just looks back at the pup and the plushie he’s holding endearingly... Yunho is sure if circumstances were different the cat hybrid would be pinching his cheeks right now.

“She’s taking some time to herself...” His eomma answers sadly. “As am I... were not seeing each other much lately.” 

“I’m sorry to hear that, Ms. Park...” Yunho says, ears drooping. Seonghwa nudged him and gave the pup a gentle look,

“Eomma.” Seonghwa says in a slightly stern, slightly emotional voice. “What did you come here to say?” Yunho is stiff as a board next to him, feeling almost like he shouldn’t be here for this conversation. But Seonghwa’s hand is still planted firmly on his thigh, a silent cue to stay. 

Seonghwa’s eomma looks at the couple without regret written all over her face. “I wanted to try and start over...” She says quietly, voice not often raised. “To start over, with you, with this version of you I’ve never known-“

“I’m- eomma...” Seonghwa accidentally interrupts her. “Eomma, you don’t need to get to know a ‘new version on me’.” He can hear his Hyung’s voice breaking. “I’m me. I’ve been me, it’s just that... I’m being true to my feelings now... and those feelings include Yunho. I want you to get to know _him_.” Yunho’s heart breaks... knowing Seonghwa inevitably had chosen him over his family. He runs his hand across his boyfriend’s back, easing the tenseness there, trying to remind him he isn’t alone in this.

Boyfriend. Seonghwa was his boyfriend. The word felt new and strange in Yunho’s mind, interesting coming out of his mouth, and he figures it’d be even stranger when Seonghwa would say it. And yet... why did the term feel so right at the same time? So fitting, like he’d always been meaning to call the cat hybrid by that.

The older boy’s eomma’s eyes are big and glossy, so much like Seonghwa’s own. “Then I’ll start over still... and try to heal our relationship.” She said, voice truthful. “I don’t understand you.” She continues, careful with her words. “I’ve never heard of this... of this kind of relationship, never seen myself aligning with it.” She says calmly. “But just because I don’t understand it does not mean I can’t try and respect it.”

Yunho himself was getting emotional at her words, but looking over at Seonghwa... the boy looks like he might explode with happiness, hand held to his heart. “I....” He starts. “I don’t know what to say...” Seonghwa giggles at the end of his sentence nervously. “That... means too much to me, that you’d say that.”

His eomma blinks away the moisture from her eyes and shakes her head. “Its the least I could do, right?” She looks between them. “For both of you.”

Seonghwa’s face is red with tears. “I know... but I’m thankful still. You didn’t have to do this but.. you did. And that matters.” 

Seonghwa’s eomma looks uncertain. “But I did, I did have to do this.” She pauses. “It’s my duty as your parent.”

They leave it at that, Seonghwa leaning back into the couch, letting out a puff of air while his eomma sits silently, legs still pressed together awkwardly, eyes lowered to the ground and ears drooped. Seonghwa wipes his face and turns his head to gently nudge Yunho’s shoulder and look up at the taller boy with big eyes, smiling so gently at him. Yunho returned that smile, holding Seonghwa’s cheek with his hand tenderly.

Seonghwa then suddenly got up, taking the untouched mug with him. “I’m going to wash up... will you two be fine?” He smiles at Yunho, who nods.

Seonghwa’s eomma smiles then. “I think we’ll be just fine... take your time, Hwa.” Somehow, her words seem more foreboding than comforting in Yunho’s mind. 

The moment his boyfriend is gone, Seonghwa’s eomma turns towards Yunho, looking at him curiously, up and down. The pup feels like he’s being x-rayed and analyzed for any... fractures. She then asks him simply in a soft, calm voice. “What do you like most about my son?” 

It’s an innocent enough question, and Yunho can feel himself relaxing a bit. “Where do I start...” He says, thinking hard to himself. There couldn’t be just _one_ favorite thing about Seonghwa... he’d been with the cat hybrid for most of his life now, it’d just be sad if he didn’t have more than one thing. “Seonghwa Hyung... he’s the most important person in the world to me...” He says truthfully. “I love his confidence.... his bravery, his soft heart... I love all the changes he’s had since we were kids... I love how he’s learned to open up over time, I love his singing voice, I love how he makes me feel safe and how he comforts me when I’m scared... how much he inspires me, in my life, in my dance...” 

Yunho trails off, feeling like he’s said too much... but then again there were a million other things he agent mentioned. He could go on and on about what Seonghwa meant to him, how much it hurt to realize he couldn’t be with him in public, that he couldn’t express that to the rest of the world.

Yunho laughs, turning back to the cat hybrid’s eomma. “I guess there’s too much to say... we’d be here all week.” The pup admits, blushing.

She nods to him, seemingly satisfied. She isn’t smiling but she appears to be at least content with what Yunho had said. “I hope I get to know you better, Yunho... you seem like a kind boy.”

Yunho wags his tail at the praise. It’s the most positive acknowledgement he’s gotten from Seonghwa’s family ever. “Thank you, Ms. Park....” He says, dipping his head in respect. 

The sounds of Seonghwa washing dishes in the kitchen echo out the door and Yunho smiles to himself. The cat hybrid was such a compulsive cleaner that sometimes the pup would worry when Seonghwa would be scrubbing floors into the late hours of the night. 

The cat hybrid’s eomma speaks up again. “I hope that by the end of the year at least... you and my son won’t hold any more ill feelings towards me and my wife...” She says it without blame hinted in her voice, ears drooping down. 

Yunho shook his head. “The last thing I’d want for Hyung is to loose a parent, let alone both of them... but if he’s still hurt then I’d want to support his feelings...” Yunho knew what it was like to physically loose one of the pillars in his life and... it was a heartbreaking experience. Wether Seonghwa realized it or not the pup hoped separating himself from his mamma would help him and not detach him further. “She... there’s a lot of people in the world who don’t... don’t like that we’re together. It’s nothing new to us.”

Seonghwa’s eomma looks down at the ground sadly. “I’d say she has her reasons but... under other circumstances I would never condone trying to influence our son like that. I was equally to blame for sitting aside while it happened.” 

Yunho didn’t know what to say to that because... it was true. He could never imagine having to live in a household where your parents fed you propaganda at any chance you’d mention your best friend... but the pup figured he was lucky to have been born in such an accepting household.

Seonghwa’s eomma speaks up again. “Why don’t I tell you a story, Yunho.”

The dog hybrid’s ears perk up in interest. “Sure... is it about Seonghwa Hyung?”

“Sort of...” She responds. “You see, when me and my wife were young, around you and my son’s age, we had some trouble earning her parents acceptance as well...” She says, relaxing back into the chair.

Yunho curiously asked. “What? But you’re both purebred... why would they complain about that?”

Seonghwa’s eomma sighed. “You’d think they’d be satisfied, right? But it was hopeless at the time... I didn’t have the right connections, the right money... what’s more is once we were married, they were willing to give us another chance if I were to have a baby, carry on the purebred line.” She looked down at the ground sadly. “But we kept trying and trying... and it never worked. And so her parents permanently swept her off all inheritance, disowned her practically.” 

Yunho whined. “That’s horrible... but didn’t you end up having a baby?”

“I did.” Seonghwa’s eomma smiled. “Seonghwa was... a miracle to say the least. My wife’s parents were on us in a second of course, trying to govern everything about my son’s life from the minute he was born. And so, my wife cut them off... she never spoke to them again. They took that burden to their graves, and so will she.” She ended the story, sitting back up in the rocking chair. 

Yunho took in the information he’d just been given... and even if it didn’t make much sense immediately, things began to add up slowly after. Maybe... seonghwa’s mamma was unconsciously following in the footsteps of her own parents 

“I know it’s nowhere near what you two have been through but... I just wanted to show you I empathize. I really do.”

Yunho gets it... he really does. It seems like no matter who you are in this world, there would always be something else threatening your happiness, your safety in one way or another, directing hate towards you. Though it was to much more different degrees of course.

“Being a parent... you get to be protective. She wants the best for him. That’s all it’s been really, even if she goes about it in the wrong ways.” She says. And Yunho understands. He may not agree with it, but he understands a bit of why Seonghwa’s parents were... the way they were now. And it didn’t feel like his eomma was trying to defend herself or her wife either. Just try and explain, which was a good thing.

“But the point is... she will come around. And until then, you have my support. I hope you two continue to bring each other happiness, for many years.” She smiles then, quite warmly at the pup, eyes shiny with tears. In a way, Yunho is sure the woman has been through quite a lot being an advocate for their friendship from the start.

“Thank you, Ms. Park. It’s... really a relief for you to say that.” Yunho says. He’s genuinely grateful to have her blessing at least. He didn’t think Seonghwa’s parents would ever come around form what he’d heard of them...

Seonghwa returned with a jar full of ginger cookies him and Yunho had made earlier that week and offered one to his eomma as he sat down next to his boyfriend again. “You have a good chat?” He smiles, leaning into Yunho slightly.

Yunho smiles down at Seonghwa, delighted to have the older boy near him again. “We did...” He feels the cat hybrid’s begin to purr softly against him, getting cuddly... the pup guesses it was that time of the night anyway. By this hour him and Seonghwa would be all cozied up in bed, watching a movie on the pup’s laptop.

Seonghwa purred into Yunho’s side, probably not even noticing his eomma’s presence in the room anymore as he pressed up against the taller boy and nuzzled the soft skin on his neck, kissing him briefly. Yunho just laughs, tail wagging and buried his nose in the cat hybrid’s hair, cheek coming in contact with his pointy ears. They’re like that for a good few seconds until Yunho hears a slight giggling coming from the rocking chair. He peels back to see Seonghwa’s eomma, eyes scrunched and all lit up with joy, holding a hand in front of her face to cover her laughing.

Seonghwa giggles along with her, leaning against his boyfriend. “What’s so funny, eomma?”

She ceases her laughter enough to talk. “It’s not funny... it’s just you two. You’re so naturally affectionate with each other it’s... sort of fascinating.”

Now that Yunho thinks about it, it’s interesting to go back and realize that Seonghwa’s parents had.... never witnessed a moment of his and Yunho’s relationship development like his own parents had. They had probably only seen Yunho a few times in the ten years they’d been friends, pushed the pup’s very existence to the back of their minds. 

“What if I told you we’ve liked each other since we were twelve...” Seonghwa asked her.

“Hey, for me it was like, when I first met you.” Yunho gave the cat hybrid a little shove. 

His eomma smiled at the two of them, eyes warm with... pride? Maybe it was pride or maybe Seonghwa was going crazy. “I might believe it...” She clears her throat. “I want you to know... I support you, Seonghwa. And I already told Yunho but I do think your mamma will come around... it will be a struggle, it _has_ been a struggle...” She takes a breath, probably reliving some bad memories. “But I hope... maybe someday you will come home to us... even if it’s not for awhile, take your time.”

Seonghwa looks speechless, mouth slightly opened. “I- I don’t know when that will be either, eomma...” He says. “But I hope it’s soon...” 

His eomma smiles sadly. “I brought some of your clothes from your dresser... just in case...” She holds up a large paper grocery bag and hands it over to Seonghwa, who looks over the moon. The cat hybrid had been wearing Yunho’s oversized t-shirts and sweatpants along with his overly-washed original clothes he’d worn over and Yunho could tell the older boy didn’t mind being washed in Yunho’s scent whatsoever... but fashion was one of Seonghwa’s passions and he was probably relieved to have part of his wardrobe back.

“Eomma... thank you so much...” He purred, beginning to root through the bag at the outfits she’d brought.

His eomma clears her throat. “I did... happen upon a large box at the bottom of your closet that contained some... interesting articles of clothing... if that’s what I’d call them even.” Yunho can’t help but let out an involuntary snort at that, covering his face in amusement. 

Seonghwa’s breath tenses, shifting uncomfortably and trying to look anywhere but at his mother. “I.... actually no I can’t explain myself...” His words fall off awkwardly, blushing profusely. Yunho thinks it’s cute.

Seonghwa’s eomma crosses her arms. “Im in no position to judge. I didn’t bring any of those garments if you were wondering though.” She clearly doesn’t look too pleased, but the air clears soon after as Seonghwa begins to . Yunho himself is a bit disappointed he had yet to see Seonghwa’s full lingerie collection... of course he wouldn’t say that out loud right now. Seonghwa’s said before that those outfits make him feel beautiful and powerful in a way... the pup would love to see that side of the older boy someday.

“What’s going on down here?” There’s a sudden new voice from behind, interrupting Yunho’s imagination. They both look back to see Yunho’s eomma at the stairwell in her casual clothes, looking down at the guest in her living room with confusion.

“Ms. Jeong...” Seonghwa rose to his feet. “I’m sorry if we woke you... my eomma came to drop off some clothes and... we got carried away talking I guess.” He dips his head apologetically. 

Yunho chips in. “You can go back to sleep, eomma we’re fine down here.”

His eomma doesn’t seem to be interested in going back to sleep however, turning towards Seonghwa’s eomma and perking her ears up. “I don’t think I’m going back to sleep just yet...” She says, holding out a hand to acknowledge the other woman.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The cat hybrid smiles as best she could back, somewhat spent from the emotional toll of the evening alone.

“It’s a pleasure meeting you as well... shame it couldn’t have been sooner. And if you don’t mind...” Yunho’s eomma turns to look at the clock on the wall, expression inviting. “I know it’s quite late but... if you have the time I’d love to talk to you awhile, Ms. Park.” 

Seonghwa’s eomma nods to her. “I’d like that very much.” They both pause, realizing their sons have no intention of going anywhere, still absorbed with each other on the couch. Yunho had an arm slung around his boyfriend, the other still clutching the plushie, nosing at the older’s hair absentmindedly while Seonghwa continued to purr.

Yunho’s eomma says to the two of them. “Well? What are you waiting for, shoo! Go on upstairs...” She gives them a dismissive gesture and Yunho urges Seonghwa to follow him upstairs with ten bag of clothes, leaving their mothers to talk it out downstairs. Yunho doubts his eomma would tell him anything about their conversation in the morning but... he figured it was a good thing, his and Seonghwa’s parents meeting finally.

The first thing the dog hybrid does when he shuts the door to his room is set Seonghwa’s plushie down against the bed, propping the soft bear against the pillow and tucking it in. “You never told me you had a childhood plushie, Hyung...” Yunho wraps his arms around his Hyung, who’s still standing near the door. “Honestly that’s adorable...” But before he can continue, Seonghwa let’s out a little sniffle against the pup’s chest, and Yunho pulls back as the sounds only get louder. “Hyung...?”

Seonghwa’s face is puffy and red, tears streaming down his cheeks and lip quivering. He wipes his eyes with the back of his hand but... it’s no use really. Yunho is saddened by the sight to the point he begins to tear up as well, feeling Seonghwa’s hurt just as strong within himself. He holds the older boy close to him. “Hyung... what’s wrong..?”

Seonghwa laughs between his tears, wiping his face again and looking up at Yunho. “I’m... im happy, puppy. I’m so, so happy.” He struggles to try and cease his crying still. “It’s just... it’s a shock is all. I’m sorry I’m being so dramatic about it...”

“Hyung, you’re not being dramatic at all...” Yunho would consider himself a crybaby in all senses... heck, he’d cry on the spot just from seeing Seonghwa cry. He was doing it right now. “You can cry a river to me right here, as long as you want, Hyung... whatever you need...” He caresses Seonghwa’s cheek, feeling the moisture there and smiling. Years ago it would have been a miracle to see Seonghwa have a real, emotional reaction like this, so spontaneous and in the moment. Yunho was more proud of the cat hybrid than ever really.

Seonghwa wipes away the last of his tears, leaning down to press his face into the pup’s soft, warm chest and squeezing the taller boy. Yunho just huffs with laughter, letting his hands wander down to run over Seonghwa’s fluffy tail which curls up into the touch. Yunho always liked how responsive his Hyung’s tail was like that. He murmurs. “You want to talk about it?”

The cat hybrid shakes his head which is still partially hidden in Yunho’s front. The pup giggles. “Can I carry you, Hyung?” There’s a nod. Yunho then retracts himself from Seonghwa slightly and the older boy doesn’t protest when Yunho hoists him up bridal style and carries him towards the bed, laying him down gently like he’s a glass doll. 

Seonghwa looks so peaceful, the red on his face disappearing, eyes closed. Yunho does feel bad though when he flings a pair of matching pajamas from the cat hybrid’s bag, accidentally landing on his face. Seonghwa sputters and props himself up on his elbows, giving Yunho a death-glare as the pup giggles from the corner of the room, in the middle of changing into his own pajamas. “You’re lucky you’re cute, pup...” Seonghwa scoffs, taking his shirt off. Yunho had gotten more used to it over the week but... he’d never get over how beautiful Seonghwa was, with and without clothes.

“It was an accident, Hyung. I’m sorry though...” Yunho joins Seonghwa in bed, drawing the covers over the both of them and snuggling up against the older boy who’s busy situating the plushie between them. Yunho doesn’t miss the cat hybrid taking the rose pendant off of the bear and pinning it onto his ribbon bracelet, holding it out to watch the glint of the rose. Seonghwa then purrs while holding the stuffed polar bear up to his chest, not noticing Yunho’s pout until the pup whines a bit.

“Awww... puppy don’t worry I’ll cuddle you...” He snuggles the polar bear plushie up against his cheek once more. “I haven’t gotten to see my bear in awhile... I didn’t realize how much I missed him.” 

Yunho watches as Seonghwa curls adorably around the bear, probably a familiar position to the cat hybrid. The younger boy then moves to get behind his Hyung, who looks back confusedly. Yunho shrugs. “If I’m big spoon then you get to cuddle your bear, right?” Normally it was Seonghwa being the big spoon while Yunho loved curling up with the older boy all wrapped around him, scent overwhelming his senses and lulling him to sleep. But they could stand to switch it up every once and awhile. 

Seonghwa smiles back at the pup, curling back around and letting Yunho spoon him. The younger boy is bigger than Seonghwa, so he easily envelops the cat hybrid’s form, body warm and strong right up against him... Yunho doesn’t often realize how little Seonghwa really is in comparison until moments like these. The cat hybrid purrs. “This is nice...” 

“You think they’ll be good down there?” Yunho asks Seonghwa, sighing into the older boy’s touch, placing a hand over his. 

Seonghwa purrs against him in response, stretching his legs out below the covers. “I hope so... maybe they’ll become friends. I think my eomma needs one of those...” He pauses, voice catching on his breath. “Do you think this means....” He starts. “Maybe we have a chance? At a life I mean?”

Yunho presses a kiss to Seonghwa’s neck and says in a low, resounding voice. “Hyung... we always had a chance. Wether your parents accepted us or not.”

Seonghwa says after a minute. “You’re... you’re right, Yunho. Yeah. We don’t have to wait, do we. For anyone.”

“We don’t have to wait for the rest of the world the change.” The pup says. “I’m not willing to wait for the rest of the world to change for us, Hyung.”

The older boy purrs louder. “Why wait, right?”

“Why wait...” Yunho smiles, clicking off the nightlight next to the bed so he couldn’t see, just feel Seonghwa’s form up against him, shifting slightly. “Goodnight, Hyung...” It’s a reassuring sound, one of familiarity. They need that right now, Yunho figures. Life has been positively sweet lately, the pup just hopes that sweetness doesn’t end soon. This week has been... one of the best he’s had in his life, and Seonghwa sort-of making amends with his family is just the cherry on top.

Seonghwa mutters back. “Goodnight, Yunho...” A sleepy, half awake sound. And Yunho drifts off to sleep, right next to his boyfriend. Knowing that the world might not have it out for them as much as they had thought.

_______

The next few days, Seonghwa gets another few bags of clothes from his eomma, one containing the box of ‘interesting articles of clothing’ that she had mentioned. Yunho’s eomma would invite her over more often as well to drink tea and she was even getting his eomma into dramas it seemed. Seonghwa still laughed at the dat before when him and Yunho walked down to the basement to follow the noise coming from there only to realize their mothers were all wrapped up in a two-hour Sunday special from a few years back on Netflix. 

Meanwhile, him and Yunho were preparing a plan on how they’d tell their friends about their relationship, and they’d both decided they’d break the news to them one at a time, on separate outings together with their friend’s partners present as well to knock out two objectives at once. Seonghwa had told Yunho he wanted to tell Yeosang first, as the fox hybrid had been the first to know about the older boy’s feelings for the pup all that time ago... and he was also the one they both know would definitely take the news well.

When Seonghwa tells Yeosang about their plans for a double date of sorts with him and Jongho, the fox hybrid tells him he’s got the perfect place for them, that it’s ‘right up Seonghwa’s alley’.

‘Right up Seonghwa’s alley’ turns out to be a fancy Italian place Wooyoung had taken Seonghwa to a few months back, complete with a perky dog hybrid hostess, a giant fireplace in the corner and a ridiculously complicated lighting system if you looked above. They made sure to get a table near the back so they could have some privacy, minimize the amount of strange looks they’d get thrown their way. 

Seonghwa and Yunho sit on the same side of the table and order a few appetizers for when Yeosang and Jongho arrive. Yunho protests that it’ll be too expensive when Seonghwa pulls out his card and gives the pup a reassuring head pat.

“You think they’ll take the news well?” Yunho asked, eyes widened.

“If they don’t, I’ll have to take Yeosang and give him a good shake to find out what’s wrong with him...” Seonghwa says jokingly, patting his boyfriend on the back. “There’s no doubt in my mind he’ll be fine, pup... don't fret.” Yeosang had been the first person to learn of Seonghwa’s feelings, long before Hongjoong or even the pup himself had... he’d probably tease Seonghwa to hell and back.

Yeosang and and Jongho came walking towards their table a few minutes later, fashionably late, the fox hybrid holding the younger boy by his tie and leading him along like it was a leash. Seonghwa... didn’t want to ask. They did call Jongho Yeosang’s ‘boy toy’ for a reason...

“Long time no see, _Seonghwa_...” Yeosang remarks sarcastically, pulling out the chair across from the cat hybrid and sitting down with Jongho in tow. The dog hybrid is wearing a sweater vest, complete with a jacket and tie, like a businessman with a wife and five kids. The boy gives him a strange look... Seonghwa returned Yeosang’s dumb smug look.

“Shut up... I was doing shit, Yeosang it’s not a crime to have a life.” 

“No offense but you’re the last person in our friend group I’d accuse of ‘having a life’. You mean to tell me you’ve finally taken up clubbing?” Yeosang laughs.

Seonghwa rolls his eyes. “I’m not Wooyoung-level thrill junkie, I can control myself thank you very much.”

“That’s probably all Woo’s been doing all summer...” Yunho adds. “Or... wait is it technically summer yet? Isn’t it still June?”

Yeosang greets Yunho quickly, giving the pup a familiar shoulder pat while Jongho gives him a brief wave. Yeosang continues, answering Yunho’s question. “I’ve lost track of time at this point... Speaking of clubbing though I never got to say this but hey, thanks for leaving me out of girl’s night a few weeks ago, Seonghwa.”

Seonghwa gives him a disoriented look, furrowing his eyebrows. “Girls night? What the- what are you talking about?” Yeosang just lets out a loud ‘hah!’ in return, probably to mock him.

Yunho is laughing too. “I think he’s talking about you and Wooyoung hanging out every day for that one week, Hyung...” Shit. That had been the week Seonghwa had gone full-throttle into getting Yunho a rut partner that _wasn’t_ him. It had felt like that was months ago...

“You and Wooyoung have fun shopping and braiding each other’s hair while I was stuck with the tree-trunk twins?” Yunho is practically on the floor with laughter at the mention of him and Mingi... 

The cat hybrid sighed, sipping at his drink. “We didn’t do anything interesting... I mean if you want to hang out with Woo that much I can organize a fun trip to the beach, just you two?” Seonghwa says jokingly, giggling when Yeosang grimaces.

“I’d rather lick someone’s boot....” Regardless of what Yeosang said, Seonghwa knew Yunho and talked to the curly-tailed pup about taking a beach trip with the whole gang sometime that summer to celebrate graduation. Seonghwa was definitely up for the idea.

They order their food, mostly pizza shared between the two and continue to talk about this and that, Jongho’s singing opportunities he’s gotten in the past months, Yeosang’s new job at the record store... By and by Seonghwa does notice that they’re getting a large amount of strange looks, even more than if it was just him and Yunho sitting there. 

“People can’t stop looking at us, can they.” Seonghwa comments when he sees the seventh person in a row throw them an odd look.

Yunho agrees. “I see them too... there was even a kid who did it a few minutes ago.”

“We look like a art kid-scene conglomeration or some shit...” Yeosang mutters. “I’m the theater kid, Jongho and Yunho are the prodigies.” Jongho visibly lights up at Yeosang’s praise even if it was brief... that kid was... whipped. That was the word for it. Yunho could thoroughly relate though.

“You left out someone.” Seonghwa said with a tinge of salt to his tone. 

Yeosang smiled sarcastically. “You’re the depressed music nerd obviously..”

“Thanks.” The cat hybrid didn’t look amused in the slightest, flicking an ear.

“Honestly though... I kind of get what you’re always saying about ‘looks’. There was this old couple the other day, both dog hybrids, and one of them right then and there just spat in front of us.”

“There was a puddle... on the pavement.” Jongho says quietly, gagging and sticking his tongue out in disgust at the memory. 

“That’s... I’m sorry about that, guys.” Yunho said sympathetically.

Jongho shook his head. “It’s whatever...”

“I mean like Seonghwa’s said a million times before. We’re used to it at this point.” Yeosang says, smiling to the couple.

“How... how are your parents taking your relationship?” Seonghwa asked both of them. Yeosang’s expression goes cold at that, ears pinning back. 

“They’re not.” Yeosang says simply, leaning back as the waiter brings them their pizzas, passing the conversation for a minute. When the waiter leaves, Seonghwa gives Yeosang a questioning look, but still trying not to pry too much. He knew well that it was a sensitive topic for many, himself included.

“They’re not taking it. At all.” Jongho answers. “Hyung’s parents are still processing the idea, have been since prom. And my parents...” Jongho trails off.

“They kicked him out.” Yeosang says bluntly, so visibly angry Seonghwa was sure he saw smoke fuming from the fox hybrid’s ears. “No bags, no nothing. Just like that.”

“It was... messy. I’m living in Yeosang and Mingi’s dorm right now.” Jongho says, looking down at his food and sighing. Seonghwa’s heart hurt for the two and he could tell by the pup’s expression that Yunho felt the exact same. The pup whines and puts a hand over Jongho’s, who looks back at the other dog hybrid in surprise.

“I’m sorry... we can understand.” Yunho says gently. The cat hybrid is touched by how tender he’s being with the boy... it must be awful to have to go through something like... disownment right before his senior high school year. The dog hybrid was just a kid, Seonghwa doesn’t know who’d have it in their hearts to kick their own kid out from the house like that while they were still underage. He could relate to Jongho on a personal level there.

Yeosang smiles at Seonghwa. “You guys probably understand more than anyone we know...” 

“But...” Jongho perks up, slim black ears swiveling from their drooping state. “On the bright side.... can I tell them, Hyung?” He leans close the the smaller boy, who seems to have calmed down a bit since they brought up Jongho’s parents, smiling to himself across the table.

“Knock yourself out...” He says affectionately.

Jongho nods, and moves his neck aside then to reveal a small, teeth-marked bruise on his scent glands at the base of his neck, browned as it must have been there for awhile now. A mating mark. Seonghwa can feel his previously gloomy attitude lift then and there at the sight, looking over at Yeosang with a playful air about him now. “Yeosang you rascal...”

“Oh _I’m_ the rascal now, huh? Just because you guys call him my boy-toy doesn’t mean I’m corrupting him or some shit...” Yeosang protests.

“Uhm...” Jongho raises his finger in response. 

Yunho laughs. “I think the boy toy has an objection.” Yeosang rolls his eyes and Seonghwa just giggles, leaning against the pup. Yunho continues. “You two are crazy... but wait I thought you couldn’t put in mating marks that quick?” Seonghwa could remember Wooyoung saying something like that during one of their talks...

“We’ve liked each other for much longer than just prom...” Jongho says warmly, pulling Yeosang closer to him.

“They’re not just special little cutie marks though...” Yeosang butted in. “I’ve read that if your bond gets strong enough then sometimes they start to hurt when your mate is in pain, like you’re experiencing the pain of your partner.”

“And sometimes you can even hear their thoughts in your head!” Jongho added. They had clearly done their research on this stuff, both the canines getting excited about the topic. 

Yeosang nods slowly. “And frankly to me, that sounds fucking terrifying. No thank you to creepy, mind-reading shit.”

Jongho shudders. “Let’s hope we never get that close.”

“I’ll probably get sick of you within a week.” Yeosang agrees.

Seonghwa rolled his eyes. “You guys are going to be insufferable....”

“No more insufferable than you two! You guys are sappier than most couples I’ve seen!” Jongho says loudly, laughing to himself.

Yeosang sighs. “Once again I’ve told you this a million times.... they’re not a thing, Jongho... right Seonghwa?” The fox hybrid gives him a knowing look. And maybe a month ago, Seonghwa wouldn’t have been grateful for his friends clean cover-up. But... things were different now. Very different. And it was time to stop covering up, especially to their closest friends.

“Actually...” Its Yunho who says it first. He doesn’t continue though, just wraps a careful arm around the cat hybrid, wary of them being in a public space, but brings him as close as he can. Seonghwa purrs, giving Yunho a knowing smile and he can practically feel Yeosang’s eyes widening to the size of two moons across from them. Seonghwa’s purring heightens and he doesn’t take his gaze away from his boyfriend. Yunho looks back just as intensely.

“A lot happened over the last month...” Seonghwa says slowly. “I didn’t know how to tell everyone... you’re the first to know besides Hongjoong...” He turns to looks back at the fox hybrid. But Yeosang isn’t saying anything.

He’s just staring holes into the both of them, jaw dropped practically to the floor and eyebrows furrowed. After a second of shock he does a double take, then finally says. “You’re not fucking with me?” And that’s it. That’s his question.

Seonghwa laughs. “We’re.. yeah. We’re dating.” He responds. 

Jongho lets out an ‘I knew it!’ before telling them congratulations. And that’s when Yeosang loses it.

“I- hold on.... fucking... okay first of all how the fuc- when? Where? Why wasn’t I notified for one thing and lastly what the fuck?!” Yeosang says, all with a look of pure, unaltered joy and excitement plastered across his face. It’s a funny sight to see, really. The stoic, no-nonsense Yeosang getting so unhinged over this.... Seonghwa can’t help but laugh at the sight, even if Yeosang gets more ticked off, in a comical way of course. “Don’t- don’t play games with me, you fucking- I want to hear everything. Right now.”

“I can’t tell you right now, we’re in public!” Seonghwa protests.

Yunho gives his Hyung a skeptical look. “I don’t think they can hear us over the music, Hyung.” The pup clearly wasn’t getting the cue here.

“Maybe I just want Yeosang to suffer.” The cat hybrid says simply, smiling smugly at Yeosang.

“You’re a sadist, you know that?” Yeosang growls. Seonghwa laughs at him all the same, finishing his pizza.

They take a route through the park after dinner and that’s when Seonghwa and Yunho finally tell Jongsang everything that has happened in the last month... from the prom night to the Ferris wheel and the week away from each other. It had been like a whole saga in the span of a few weeks... all leading up to now. Once they were done with the story, it was the perfect leeway for Yeosang to go on his long-overdue rant about how they could have been together a year ago had Seonghwa just listened to him and stopped moping so much, Yunho commenting how Seonghwa had never told him about Yeosang’s frequent advice, and the fox hybrid jut getting even more enraged. 

Seonghwa gives Yunho a small peck on the lips and Yeosang and Jongho start fake-gagging and acting dramatic. Seonghwa points out they were the ones who had made out in front of the whole school on a fucking stage and Yeosang just shrugs it off like he’d ever be able to live that down. It was a fun walk home to say the least...

But when they get home that night, Seonghwa looks over Yunho once more. _I should tell you I love you, pup._ He thinks to himself again and again. It’s been eating up at him lately...and ideally he feels like the words should come so easy to him. I love you. There’re the truest words he could say to the pup, only scratching the surface of what Yunho meant to him.. but it still made him feel guilty all the same... for the fact he hadn’t told Yunho sooner. It was a stupid argument in his head, Seonghwa was aware...

He wondered... what it would be like to be mates with Yunho. Officially, with the marks and everything. And he knew it might not work the same for them since Seonghwa was a feline... but he still wanted that brand on him, wanted to see that brand displayed on Yunho as well. A sign of their bond. 

Still, even into the deepest hours of the night, Seonghwa couldn’t find himself drifting to sleep, running his thumb over Yunho’s ribbon, his own to match with the little pendant there. It glints slightly with the light of the moon through a slit in the curtain.. and Yunho Seonghwa can’t help thinking to himself. Wondering, again and again...

But those wonderings don’t seem to go anywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did you like the new chapter? there are still questions to be answered... hope you’re all still excited for the next few chapters!!
> 
> good news, i am beginning development for my next main fic!! it’s yunhwa again, surprise surprise as i plan to fill the yunhwa tag as much as i possibly can... hopefully i can put out some short sweet fics or some pwps or something in between the time i post the next one... hope some of y’all stay with me for the next project tho!!
> 
> thank you all so much for reading!! <3


	21. Only You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next chapter is here!! i hope you all have fun reading... there’s some fun extra drama in this one!
> 
> thank you all once again for all the attention and love this fic has received in the past months it’s been up... it’s been so much fun bringing this story to life that ive had stuck in my head for too long...
> 
> hope you enjoy reading!

Seonghwa woke up the next few days to a clingy, pouty, puffy-cheeked Yunho, curled up around the older boy’s back like a giant koala. The early morning sunlight was coming through the curtains in golden beams again today... Seonghwa wondered if that was the reason Yunho chose those yellow curtains to place on that side of the room...

The cat hybrid was perfectly content to sleep the day away before Yunho blinked awake, smiling when his eyes came into focus and recognized Seonghwa all curled up in his arms. “Good morning, star...” He whispered. The older boy can feel his boyfriend give him a soft kiss on the forehead but when Yunho moves to get up, Seonghwa let’s out a little noise of protest, wanting to stay in bed awhile longer.

“How are you feeling, Hyung...?” Yunho murmured to him with a gentle, deep voice, sitting up on the bed and looking down at Seonghwa, who flips over onto his stomach and stretches out so his body is splayed.

“I’m... achy...” Seonghwa groans, noticing his voice is rough from sleep. His back hurts a bit from being hunched over cooking so often these days he figures... and from the various positions he finds himself in when Yunho attaches onto him in the middle of the night... the pup is so, so much sometimes. Especially with the clinginess but the cat hybrid would be lying if he said he didn’t absolutely love it.

Yunho just giggles, moving to kneel over his Hyung’s back, sitting himself promptly on the cushion of the other’s ass, careful not to crush the smaller boy and Seonghwa begins to feel the dog hybrid’s hands rubbing his back, easing the . “Feel good?” He purred.

“Mmmh...” Seonghwa mumbled in return, arching slightly into the touch, letting his body move on its own. He relaxed under the dog hybrid’s fingers as Yunho massaged his muscles, smiling to himself as Yunho hums contentedly and stretching himself out further under the taller boy. He feels like he might be close to falling asleep again when Yunho suddenly stops and gets up from the bed with one last pet to his tail, leaving Seonghwa to doze under the covers.

“Hyung...” The pup whines in that voice that would normally prompt Seonghwa to scold him for making him feel neglectful, but instead he just flips over and retracts himself from bed. 

“I’m coming, puppy...” He smiles at Yunho and nudges his shoulder, playfully leaning up to press a kiss to his boyfriends cheek.

Yunho’s tail is wagging now, excited to help Seonghwa make breakfast. The taller boy pulls a shirt over his head hurriedly before following the cat hybrid but he pauses partway out the door. “Hyung... are you gonna get dressed?” 

The older boy hadn’t realized he was still mostly nude, with only his underwear covering him. Seonghwa decided then and there he was going to make the day extra frustrating for Yunho... he was feeling mischievous. “You’re eomma is at work, right? It’s hot in here anyways, puppy...” 

And Seonghwa regretted afterwards he didn’t have his phone out to capture the almost instantaneous blush that spreads across Yunho’s face as he covers his mouth in embarrassment. But the cat hybrid didn’t miss the fact that the pup’s wagging tail had gotten even more erratic with excitement... 

Seonghwa makes crepes, wearing just an apron over the underwear, Yunho helping mix the batter up by pressing the blender button (and adding more sugar because apparently Seonghwa hadn’t added enough). The cat hybrid slices some strawberries and bananas, popping a few into Yunho’s mouth.

“You’re a lifesaver, Hyung... I think your cooking alone added ten years to my lifespan already...” Yunho says, voice muffled from chewing, eyes hot on Seonghwa’s back as they ran over his body. Seonghwa purred from the attention.

“Honestly... what would you be eating all summer if I wasn’t here, puppy?” Seonghwa asks as he flips another crepe onto the plate, Yunho filling it with as much cream as possible like it was a taco.

“Frozen burritos... takeout and.... my mom’s tteokbokki or kimchi stew or something... that’s all I can think of.” The pup lists off.

“Frozen- since when do you eat frozen burritos?” Seonghwa acts like the idea is an offense to him, offended enough to pause his crepe flipping.

“Since I got into high school and realized life isn’t a musical. _Especially_ at art school, mind you.” Yunho giggled at himself as Seonghwa rolled his eyes.

“I didn’t think I raised you to enjoy frozen burritos...” The cat hybrid mutters, continuing his cooking. 

“At least you’re here now... to save me from a summer of microwave meals and breakdancing in my basement.” Yunho’s tail wags as he forms the strawberries into a little smiley face over the crepe, with a whipped cream beard. Seonghwa wanted to pinch his cheeks right about now... the younger boy was like a small child sometimes and he found it oh so endearing.

“You still do that.” Seonghwa points out, referring to the breakdancing bit. He’d come home from the convenience store once or twice to an house, only to find Yunho practicing relentlessly in the basement, as he would shake the whole building were he to do those moves upstairs.

“But now you can watch and judge me...” Yunho wraps his arms around the cat hybrid’s partially naked form, hugging the older boy to his chest and looking around his shoulder as Seonghwa continues to cook, flipping the crepes even as he giggled. Yunho was being extra cuddly today and you bet Seonghwa was going to take advantage of it.

Yunho watched diligently as Seonghwa finished up their meal, not stopping hugging the cat hybrid even when he moved from place to place in the kitchen. In the end, they had several crepes stacked up on a large plate to carry back upstairs for an impromptu breakfast in bed for the both of them, along with some juice.

They watched Spider-Man on the pup’s laptop, like they always used to as kids and curled up against each other, Seonghwa somehow still hyper-aware of his care skin brushing and moving against Yunho’s side while they fed each other crepes in bed. Normally, the cat hybrid would make a fuss about crumbs getting in between the sheets. But the thought doesn’t seem to cross his mind this time for some reason.

Yunho draws a mustache out of whipped cream on Seonghwa’s upper lip and exclaiming how it looks preposterous, proceeding to lick it all off in an effort to cover up the cat hybrid’s ‘facial hair disaster’. Seonghwa held the most deadpan expression on his face he could muster the whole time.

“You know... before I started staying here, I kind of hated days like this.” Seonghwa comments after they’re done eating, movie still playing in the background.

“What do you mean, Hyung?” Yunho asked, ears perking up.

“I don’t like feeling... lazy and unmotivated I guess. But with you time just seems to... walk on by. Like a nice trot I guess....” Seonghwa purrs, letting his nose brush against the dip of Yunho’s collarbone. “What I mean is... when I’m with you I don’t feel like I’m wasting any time at all.” He continues. “It’s like life is going at exactly the pace it should.”

“You’re a sap, Hyung.” Yunho giggles, earning a small pinch in the side from Seonghwa. “No, but seriously I know exactly what you mean... you’ve always made me feel like I’ve got all the time in the world...”

In response, Seonghwa just curled into him and began to groom Yunho’s flighty golden locks, burying his nose in the softness and purring when the pup began to close his eyes and doze, breath slightly rough with the sound of sleep. He pulled back then, shifting so that he could drape over Yunho’s form like a rag doll, letting his tail curl over the younger boy’s leg and face rest against his slowly rising chest.

“You excited for see everyone again?” Seonghwa asks Yunho once the pup is awake a few hours later. They’re on the couch in the basement now, tired after just finishing playing video games. 

“Yeah...” Yunho says weakly. “So much has changed... it feels like it’s been a lot more than a month since we last saw them.” It really had felt like him and Yunho had gotten married, went on their honeymoon, had two kids and retired in the time since prom...

“It feels like it’s been years.” Seonghwa agrees.

“I could definitely live through a decade of just this...” Yunho murmurs, earning a soft purr from the older boy who gives him a small shove.

“Who’s the sap now, huh?” He teases.

Yunho laughs, complaining playfully about being abused by the older boy before sighing. “Me and Woo need to start actually planning that stupid beach trip we were talking about.” He sighs, clutching insistently onto Seonghwa’s tail.

For context, Wooyoung’s boss was letting him and few other staff members hold a karaoke night at the boba cafe and the pup had invited the whole crew over. Seonghwa figured it was the perfect time to tell the rest of their friends him and Yunho were together now. It was nerve-wracking definitely. After all, Yeosang had already known of Seonghwa’s feelings and accepted them long ago and revealing themselves to the fox hybrid was a baby step. All they could do really was hope. 

“Wooyoung is gonna absolutely lose it...” Seonghwa comments.

“He’ll be fine, right?” Yunho asked hesitantly. “I mean he’s talked about social justice and equality a _lot_ before so...” The golden-haired boy trails off, staring blankly at Seonghwa’s fluffy tail, still held in his grasp.

“Pup, why are you always so paranoid about their reactions?” Seonghwa twisted around next to Yunho on the couch to face him. 

Yunho looks unsure of himself, looking down at the couch. “I- I guess.. I’m always expecting people to just... shun us at this point. Like we’re not there, like we’re something... wrong.” He stutters, looking at Seonghwa with glossy eyes, cuddling closer to the older boy’s tail.

“Puppy... we’ll be just fine, right?” Seonghwa assures him, bringing the pup’s head close to lean on his shoulder.

Yunho is pliant, settling right into Seonghwa’s side. “It’s not that I think we’re... that we’re doomed or anything. Just, everyone had always believed we were... freaks.” He finishes, voice breaking at the end. 

“Nothing was ever wrong with us...” Seonghwa reassures him, even if he knows Yunho doesn’t think that. “This was never wrong... and if anyone thinks that way, we shouldn’t pay attention to them, puppy.” They cuddle up close on the couch, enjoying each other’s company as they always have.

And there in that moment, Seonghwa thinks he could take the same exact picture of them ten years ago, and that nothing would have changed. Not one thing in the scene. Yunho would still be playing with the older boy’s tail, Seonghwa would still be purring up a storm to help the dog hybrid drift off to sleep... 

_I’ve loved you for too long..._ He thinks to himself more than once.

_______

Yunho takes it upon himself to drive both him and Seonghwa to the boba cafe, trying his best to be safe as possible and still even then having a spiky Seonghwa passenger-seat driving right next to him. It’s the third stoplight Seonghwa reminds him he should have stopped sooner when Yunho turns on the radio to distract the older boy.

It seems to work because the moment he flips to the station that plays all the bubblegum pop girlgroup songs, Seonghwa is thoroughly invested in acting out the choreo to as many different tracks as he possibly can, looking like a complete fool in the seat next to him and Yunho’s driving experience is at peace once more. 

They arrive late, Yunho driving slowly as he could without breaking the law. He parks the car a few blocks down the road so him and Seonghwa could talk for awhile about how exactly they should break the news.

“We should buy everyone drinks or something!” Yunho suggested, tail wagging.

“You really want to witness another one of Mingi and Yeosang’s lightweight meltdowns, puppy?” Seonghwa raised an eyebrow at him, skeptical.

“What?! I mean boba, Hyung not alcohol!” Yunho exclaimed. 

“Right....” Seonghwa trails off, giving Yunho a sly look. The pup wasn’t sure what that was suppose to mean...

Right outside the cafe, Seonghwa pulls Yunho off to the side for a second, grabbing onto the pup’s shirt and pulling him into a soft kiss. “Hyung...” Yunho giggles in between breaths. “Hyung what....”

“We won’t get to kiss when we’re in there... just getting a few in beforehand, puppy...” The cat hybrid continues to press little pecks against Yunho’s neck and face, skin lighting up the taller boy’s nerves. Finally, he leans forward to give Yunho one last small kiss on the cheek, purring against his skin. “You’re cute...” 

Their moment is cut short by the small sound of someone’s breath catching coming from the side of the building and Yunho turns around, horrified to see a head sticking out around the corner, a pair of eyes belonging to a white-eared tom cat hybrid pointed straight at him and Seonghwa. In a flash, the person is gone, rushing back into the cafe.

Fuck.

They had never... they had never shown affection like that in public before, never taken a risk like that once. Was this... could they be kicked out of school for this shit? They couldn’t... that guy didn’t have any proof. Did he? Yunho hadn’t heard a camera going off... no, there couldn’t have been a camera... why was he jumping to conclusions?

“We need to go in, Yunho...” Seonghwa whispered.

Yunho shook his head frantically. “What... Hyung what the fuck is gonna....”

“We won’t know til we go in.”

And the moment him and Seonghwa burst through the doors, Yunho can immediately feel every eye in their vicinity on the two of them, staring holes into the couple. That... that fucker must have told everyone on the whole block at this point if he was able to get to so many people at once.

“Yunho... Seonghwa?” It’s Yeosang, approaching them from the side, moving to place a hand on Seonghwa’s back. The older boy was breathing rapidly, holding his chest with one hand, yunho not having noticed because of his own shock. He gently placed a hand on his boyfriend’s back and rubs there, still looking up to flit his eyes around the room.

“Yeosang... what happened?” He asks worriedly, eyes still looking over the many eyes on them.

Yeosang looks nervous to tell him. “We... this tom just came in and announced there was a ‘freak couple’ kissing outside the cafe.” He says bluntly, but looking just as uncomfortable saying those words as Yunho feels right now.

The pup looks at Seonghwa beside him to see the cat hybrid looks... Seonghwa looks devastated. He looks embarrassed and devastated and there’s tears welling up in the older boy’s eyes and Yunho hates it. He hates that him and Seonghwa had kissed outside the cafe, he hates how Seonghwa was upset now, hated seeing his boyfriend so distraught.

“Yunho...” Yeosang says slowly. “You guys... you might need to-“

“Yunho what the fuck did you do!?” As if on cue, Wooyoung suddenly yells from over the baked goods case, phone still held up to his head, Changbin looking on worriedly next to him. “Someone just told me you fucked Seonghwa Hyung in the alley?”

“Thats- that’s not even- What the fuck?!” Seonghwa blurted out, rising from his breakdown visibly outraged, tail puffed all the way up, ears drawn back.

“Wait, what?!” Yunho exclaims along with him. What- how had it even escalated to that so quickly in that amount of time? Where even was the guy now? Fuck- this was so stupid... their entire plan to tell their friends about their relationship had just gone to shit in a minute. “Wooyoung... that’s not what happened... I promise I can explain.” Yunho tried to calm the situation down, holding Seonghwa close.

“I mean that’s just what I heard... everyone in the cafe thinks you two are boyfriends or something...” Wooyoung looked back at the people, mostly kids their age, there at the cafe for karaoke night. It really wasn’t a huge amount of people in the cafe... fuck, Yunho recognized some of them from school.

What now? Did him and Seonghwa just walk out now and go home, sit in and worry about it all later? There was way _way_ too much going on in Yunho’s brain as to how to damage control... he couldn’t handle all of it.

“Hyung... what should we-“ But seonghwa isn’t next to him anymore. Yunho looks around to see Seonghwa scrambling to get on top of the makeshift karaoke stage setup at the head of the cafe, all eyes now on on him as he clears his throat. He looks... furious.

“Everyone in this cafe...” Seonghwa speaks into the mic with no remorse, no shame whatsoever. There’s no regret in his voice. “My name is Park Seonghwa. I’m nineteen years old, I go to horizon academy... and I’m a purebred on top of that.” He pauses, suddenly seeming to lose confidence and looking out at Yunho. He... Seonghwa was doing just what he had said he’d do from now on. He was speaking the truth, he was being completely true to himself and his relationship... even in front of all these people.

Honestly this group of people would probably forget they’d even seen a scandalous and preposterous canine/feline relationship just the next day... but this was important, this was impactful. To both of them. And Seonghwa looked angry, furious even. He needed to get this out. Yunho gave Seonghwa a soft nod, looking him deep in the eyes and watching as the older boy’s fire dies out a bit, replaced by a calm, cooled anger.

“I have a boyfriend.” Seonghwa continues. “He’s a canine and I’m a feline. Yeah, you’re all right, it isn’t a dumb rumor. Happy now? You happy you get to point fingers and whisper and say shit about our lineage and how our families must be devastated and other stuff like that, right?” Seonghwa practically spat out. 

“He’s been my... my life partner, my soulmate... for as long as I’ve known him, and as long as I will know him. A cat and a dog. It sounds impossible, right?” The cat hybrid smiles at the crowd and continues. “I need him... and I’m sure he feels the same. And if you disagree with that, I don’t want to hear it. I really don’t. I’ve heard every insult, every slur, every argument a million times over. And I don’t care about one bit of it.”

The people watching all around them have mixed reactions... some of them look angry right back at Seonghwa, some of them aren’t even paying attention. But Seonghwa isn’t looking at any of them. He’s looking straight at Yunho. Because really... the dog hybrid figures he must not care about anyone else in that room right now.

“And I just want to say as well.” A voice sounds from across the cafe, to the other end of the stage area. It’s wooyoung, the second mic clutched in his hand and held up to his mouth. He looks angry. “That if anyone has a problem with anything my friend said...” He pauses, presumably for effect. “They can see themselves out right now. Managers orders.” He lies then. Yunho’s jaw is on the floor... Wooyoung could lose his job for pulling something like this. No, he _would_ lose his job like this.

“Go on, I see you guys looking at each other. Hurry on out.” Wooyoung says with ice in his voice. Slowly afterwards, more and more people begin to rise and see themselves out of the cafe, most of them at that. 

They filtered out almost one by one, leaving maybe five other people besides their friend group in the cafe. Seonghwa comes off the stage slowly, dropping the mic on the ground and immediately burying his face in Yunho’s chest, not crying but just... being. And that’s all Yunho cares about, all he expects from the older boy.

Almost perfectly really, Hongjoong arrives then and there in the open doorway looking around confusedly at the empty cafe. “Hey, guys!” He calls out before noticing Seonghwa, curled up against Yunho like his life depended on it. Yunho cradled him, rocking the older boy back and forth while their friends kept their distance understandably. 

It takes a second for Seonghwa to look back up at his boyfriend. Yunho caresses the cat hybrid’s cheek when he does, eyes big and scared. “You did amazing, Hyung...” He moves Seonghwa’s hair out of his face, looking down at him with pride.

The older boy smiles right back, speechless. Yunho brings their foreheads together and bumps them for just a second, Seonghwa purring steadily and Yunho’s tail beginning to wag.

Wooyoung lets out a sharp scream right then. “What... the fuck.” The pup says once he sees Seonghwa recovered. He rushes forward, sweeping the older boy up and looking at him with disbelief in his eyes. “Got some explaining to do, Hwa?”

Seonghwa smiles nervously, still coming down from the stress of what just happened. “I- can we talk at the table?”

Yunho moves to join them, awaiting an inevitable interrogation that Wooyoung would provide. The general reaction from their friends seemed to be positive... Yeosang and Jongho were already sitting at the table, unmoved and unsurprised as they already knew. Hongjoong is sitting next to them looking nonchalant as... he already knew as well. There really weren’t as many people as Yunho had built up in his head. Changbin is wiping down the counter still, unamused... Yunho is about to sit down but not before Mingi catches him... the pup hadn’t even realized him or Jongho or anyone else were there at first... Mingi looks scared almost.

“So... you’re dating Seonghwa?” He asks, smiling. Seems positive enough so far...

“I- yeah I am.” Yunho says simply back.

“That’s.... that’s really cool!” Mingi says simply, but instantly going back on his comment. “I mean... that’s nice? That’s really- I’m happy for you two!” He scrambles to find the right words. “Shit.... I wasn’t meant to be this- I’m sorry, Yunho.” He says apologetically.

“Mingi.” Yunho put two hands on his friend’s shoulder and directed the other canine to look him in the eye. “You didn’t mess up, don’t worry. Me and Hyung are happy everyone seems to be... accepting.” He says. “Lighten up.”

“Yeah...” Mingi nods to him slowly, unsure face gradually turning to a nervous smile. “You two are really cute together.” He says, bunching his shoulders up and smiling sweetly.

Yunho smiles back. “I mean I hope we are at this point... or that’d be pretty insufferable for you guys, right?”

“I’ve seen you two kiss _once_ and it’s already insufferable.” Yeosang comments, stealing Mingi by pulling him over to sit next to the fox hybrid at the round table. Yunho slips himself in next to Seonghwa, looking over at his boyfriend with excitement and nerves. They... had really just done that, and in public no less. Might not have been the wisest decision but at least it filtered out all the idiots in the cafe... and Wooyoung and Mingi seemed to be taking the news well too.

“Okay how the fuck long has it been?” Wooyoung instantly begins the interrogation process, putting two hands down on the table like a conference.

“Are we gonna go through this again?” Yunho hears Jongho ask Yeosang under his breath, but not quiet enough it seems. Mingi snorts, eventually succumbing to laughter while Wooyoung just looks miffed. “I need to know how long I’ve been an oblivious idiot, guys! Fill me in!”

“Oh trust me, we know a thing or two about being oblivious...” Seonghwa gives his boyfriend a knowing look and leans slightly against Yunho’s shoulder.

“So not long then...” Wooyoung assumes. “Cmon, Hyung! You know I want to know more...”

And so, they commence what must be the hundredth time they’ve told this same story of how him and Seonghwa’s feelings grew for each other, how they pushed and pulled apart from each other all while harboring the same feelings, the recent developments of their relationship including the confession and the breaking apart. Yunho notices Seonghwa floss over the part concerning his parents... with good reason Yunho’s sure. The older boy must not have the energy to think about that subject at the moment, especially with the stress he’d just gone through...

Wooyoung yells at them for being dumbasses after they’re through retelling the story, reaching across the table to group hug both of them and laugh. “I’m so fucking _proud_ of both of you idiots...” It was easy to forget but... Wooyoung was the first person Yunho and Seonghwa had met who had accepted them immediately as they were, as a package deal. The pup had been their first friend and had played such an important role in both their lives.

Yunho felt himself tear up in the other pup’s embrace, squeezing his two original friends tight as he possibly could. “Fuck....” He mutters, one tear streaming down his cheek.

“Fuck indeed.” Wooyoung repeats, pulling back to see Seonghwa’s eyes are slightly watery as well. Yunho gives Seonghwa a loving, comforting look and that’s when Wooyoung exclaims. “Oh fuck, wait can you guys kiss?!” He practically screams, Yunho and Seonghwa both laughing at the pup. Yunho gives Seonghwa a questioning look but Seonghwa just shakes his head. Maybe some other time.

Mingi begins cheering right after and the whole table to clapping for the couple, voicing their support and giving both boys congratulatory pats. Yunho felt... he felt like this was family. He felt like this was a family reunion and him and Seonghwa were accepted and loved by even one of them, in a perfect world. A perfect world where him and Seonghwa were together without the added weight, without the judgement and that their friends were their chosen family... 

“Okay now that we all know yunhwa’s a thing...” Yeosang says loudly. “Can we begin to discuss some important matters at hand?”

“Like their wedding!” Wooyoung shrieks.

“I was going to say summer break but... I mean what’s there to talk about really? We all know I’d be the best man.” Yeosang does purposefully to ramp the curly-tailed canine up.

“Fuck you, _I’m_ gonna be the best man at their wedding, _you_ can be the best man at Mingi and Hwanwoong’s wedding!” Wooyoung retorts.

“Uhh, guys we can have more than one best ma-“ Yunho tries to butt into the stupid argument but he’s cut off immediately.

“What?! Mingi will obviously choose Yunho out of everyone here, _you’re_ obviously not going to give me a place at _your_ wedding thus I should be best man at yunhwa’s wedding.” Yeosang concludes, looking down at Wooyoung like he’s won.

“What makes you think you won’t get a place at me and Binnie’s wedding?” Wooyoung points out, to changbin’s surprise.

“Uh huh and what would that be?” Yeosang crosses his arms.

“The flower girl of course!” Wooyoung smiles with the most smug expression, breaking out into shrill laughter when Yeosang starts to visibly fume.

“You walked into that one...” Mingi points out, laughing nervously as Wooyoung and Yeosang continue to yap on about wedding logistics, even dragging Jongho into the mix in the process, the younger pup insisting that they should flip a coin much for Woosang’s dismay.

Yunho hadn’t even realized the conversation had drifted completely elsewhere and now him and Seonghwa were out of the limelight once more. Funny, how things had seemingly shifted back to normal even within their friend group.... like him and Seonghwa had been dating for far longer than just a month and everyone was already done and over it. It was a relief... but at this point Yunho was used to horrible outbursts or at least a few tears when they would reveal their relationship status to anyone. Being so normalized like this was a pleasant shock to say the least.

“They’re pretty wrapped up in this whole best man thing, huh?” Hongjoong is suddenly right next to Yunho, leaning over to talk closely to him. Well, he’d been there the whole time but... him and Hongjoong had never had an actual conversation before. Yunho catches Seonghwa nervously looking over in their direction and stiffening up... but the pup didn’t feel any reason for Seonghwa be nervous whatsoever. And he’d prove that. He didn’t want to be a jealous, clingy and annoying boyfriend to the older boy.

“Wooyoung and Yeosang could argue about anything and it’d go on for like, a few hours at the least a week at the most. It’s how they let out tension.” Yunho responds, smiling when Hongjoong relaxes a bit at his continuing the conversation.

“Maybe they just want to bang each other and they're in heavy denial or something...” The tabby boy laughs to himself, Yunho giggling along with him. If only.... Wooyoung and Yeosang were the two people in their friend group the pup would vote least likely to ever hook up, even if they didn’t already have boyfriends. “Who would you actually choose...?” Hongjoong asked. “For your and Hwa’s hypothetical best man for your hypothetical I mean...” 

Yunho didn’t need to think for an instant about it. “I’d make Mingi my best man and those two can just rough it out over who gets to cut the cake...” He says, earning a chuckle from the smaller boy.

“That suits them...” Hongjoong comments. They go into a mutual silence after that, the air between the two boys slightly awkward even with all the commotion going on around them. 

Hongjoong is the first to break the silence. “I... I do want you to know, Yunho that I’m really happy you and Hwa have each other, that you have for all this time.” He says. “And I really hope you don’t see me as a threat or anything... not implying you did it’s just-“

“No, no it’s understandable....” Yunho says impulsively.

“I just... we were never actually a thing, Hwa and I, we just messed around. He told me he liked you pretty early on in our hookups.” Hongjoong continues, looking over at the dog hybrid warily. 

“I get it... and I don’t hold any grudge towards you whatsoever.” It was the truth. Especially since Hongjoong was so close to Seonghwa, Yunho didn’t want to hold onto any odd feeling he may have gotten in the past when the tabby boy was around. Sure, some harmless jealousy was natural in a relationship but he had _growled_ at Hongjoong in the past, something Yunho still felt guilty about. “

“It’s all fair, I deserved it with how much of a touchy little bastard I was...” Hongjoong laughed fo himself and gave Yunho a friendly pat on the back. He paused a second, looking out at the warm glowing lights of the cafe lamps, their friends still debating on and on... “You’re... you’re a lucky guy, Yunho... I never liked him romantically but Seonghwa is definitely boyfriend material at it’s finest.” He smiles, a toothy smirk. “I know you two probably already do this but... give him lots of love... he deserves it.” 

Yunho looked back over to his boyfriend, who’s laughing along with the conversation, face lighting up, eyes scrunched and smile wide. A small pang goes off in his chest and he nods to Hongjoong. “I know... and I will, don’t worry.”

Yunho feels like with all his heart, everything he has in him, he’d look after Seonghwa, care for him, love him with all his heart til the day he couldn’t anymore... and even then he’d love to live right alongside the older boy the rest of his life, spend every waking moment as each other’s life companions the way they’ve been doing since they first met. Not one moment wasted when they were in each other’s company. 

Returning to the conversation still going on, it seems the topic had drifted from weddings to summer break and how they were going to spend it. Wooyoung in particular was speaking very loudly, voice probably heard around all other tables in the vicinity.

“Me and Yun were planning this awesome, giant beach party for all of us this summer.” He announced.

“No way... what? How are you gonna pay for all that?” Jongho speaks up.

“How are _we_ going to pay for all that?” Yeosang adds. “I’m fucking broke. Unless you’re planning on camping...”

“I’m fine with that.” Yunho chimes in, not really caring about the housing situation.

“No thank you...” Seonghwa grimaces when the fox hybrid says the word ‘camping’ and Yunho can’t help but laugh inwardly to himself. The one time the older boy had ever been camping was once in the early days of high school with Yunho’s family and he would never forget the look of pure and utter trauma on Seonghwa’s face when he’d been told he had to go to the bathroom in the woods and wouldn’t be able to shower. It was like living hell for the overly-cleanly cat hybrid.

“Okay no camping then...” Yunho agrees with his boyfriend.

“Simp...” Wooyoung rolls his eyes. “Okay anyone else have any ideas then?”

“Actually, I might have a solution...” Hongjoong raises his hand from beside Yunho, all eyes turning towards the small feline.

“What? Do _you_ have a beach house, Joong?” Seonghwa asked, surprise in his voice. Yunho was surprised as well. They had been at Hongjoong’s parent’s house once and they didn’t seem like the type of people to own some fancy vacation home near the coast.

“No... I’m pretty broke as it is.” Hongjoong pauses. “Buuut... I _do_ happen to have a boyfriend who coincidentally owns a villa on the beach.” 

Seonghwa widens his eyes next to Hongjoong and looks back at Yunho with a look of pure excitement, eyes lit up. But not before Wooyoung let’s out a shrill woop, lumping his fist in the air and jumping out of his seat. “We get to live the summer beach trip of our dreams! Yunho, hold me...” He almost falls straight into the pup. Yunho gladly lets Wooyoung land, only to start getting hyped up again.

Before long, him and the curly-tailed pup were chanting “beach trip, beach trip!” To the rest of the table.

“Okay... wait how many rooms does the house have? And when does this start cause I need to help my parents out for awhile...” Mingi asks.

“It’s... pretty space from what I hear.” Hongjoong answers, earning another woop from Wooyoung and an eyebrow raise from Yeosang.

Yunho was just excepted they’d all get to spend most of the summer together from what it sounded like... and Seonghwa would maybe get his mind off his mamma and ease his stress a bit more...

After the group has settled down slightly from the excitement of actually getting to go on a trip to the beach together, Hongjoong turns towards Yunho and Seonghwa, completely ignoring the chaos he’d just inflicted upon the friend group. “You guys met up with my parents, right?” He grins.

“Yeah... Joong why didn’t you tell me your parents were that cool? Like in all the time we’ve known each other you’ve just called yourself a stray... I thought you were an orphan.” Seonghwa ranted.

“I was technically...” Hongjoong shrugged. “The street car lifestyle just stuck even after I got adopted I guess... I’m glad they helped you though.” He laughs. “They didn’t try to feed you anything, did they?” 

“No... we did see the anarchy flag right outside the house though.” Yunho remarked, remembering the meetup. 

“I should tell them to take that down... that could get them targeted....” The tabby boy comments. “Did they talk about their last case a few weeks ago?”

“No...?” Seonghwa looks confused.

“What? I mean I guess they were just being professional but holy shit, Hwa it was a fucked up story.” Hongjoong laughs nervously.

“Why, what happened?” Yunho asks, intrigued.

“Yeah, Hongjoong cmon I need some juicy stuff to live off of.” Wooyoung urged.

“You’re a fucking drama leech...” Yeosang rolled his eyes.

Hongjoong around the table to see everyone is now thoroughly invested in what he’s about to say, laughing amusedly before saying. “Basically there was this couple a few towns over who had to go to court-I kid you not- to fucking _court_ because of their kid’s birth records.” He finishes.

“Elaborate, Joong.” Seonghwa asks, voice warm in Yunho’s ear.

Hongjoong looked around at everyone again. “It was so ridiculous... it was about the kid’s hybrid type. They couldn’t figure out wether or not to type it out as ‘canine’ or ‘feline’.” Hongjoong threw a hand up. “I mean why couldn’t they have just done both? It’s ridiculous.”

A few of their friends nod and start conversation surrounding the topic, politics and such. But Yunho doesn’t join in. He can slowly feel the cogs beginning to turn in his brain, eventually clicking in the worst way possible. And by the looks of Seonghwa, it seemed he was going through the exact same thing.

And there it was.

_Fuck_

A child. A canine/feline child. That’s what Hongjoong had said, right? What the-

“Fuck.” Both him and Seonghwa say at the same time. They were fucked. So very fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops... practice safe sex kids don’t be reckless and read shady articles on the internet like yunhwa...
> 
> thank you so much for reading! <3 if you think anything needs tagging pls let me know!


	22. Little Bows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaah sorry for the super late update!! things are super busy for me lately, ive been pretty stressed out trying to get a lot of things done at once... but im trying not to be too hard on myself for being late anymore!! it’s a learning process,
> 
> i hope you like the new chapter regardless!! <3

Breath. Seonghwa kept telling himself that over and over again as he fully realized just how big of a mistake Yunho and him had been making for... how long now? It had to be probably... since the pup’s birthday, so four months? 

And even with the cat hybrid panicking in the booth, Hongjoong just kept on talking, still sharing the story with their group. “It’s all worked out now of course... still was a mess though.” He finishes.

Yeosang grimaces. “Honestly it’s enough being a wild/domestic couple in this fucking society... I can’t imagine what you two will have to go through now that you’re a couple.” He looks at Seonghwa and Yunho but Seonghwa is only half listening to everything and Yunho... Yunho looks like he’s not up for processing anything right now, staring blankly at the empty space on the other side of the booth, but otherwise not noticeably stressed.... at least to anyone but Seonghwa.

“Hwa? You okay?” Hongjoong waves a hand in front of his face. The older boy snaps out of his stupor then, blinking several times and looking Hongjoong in the eye, trying to convey the lie that he was fine... and it seems to work for the most part. The other feline gives him a nervous smile, asking again. “Spaced out or something?”

Seonghwa nodded. “Yeah... yeah that’s it. Sorry, Joong.” The other feline just laughs it off and continues talking, moving on to describe the bead house they could all go to and texting San to confirm. All the while Seonghwa can feel his eye twitching with nervousness... and Yunho... the cat hybrid turns to his side.

The dog hybrid meets Seonghwa’s gaze, unspoken words passing between the two. The older boy tries to get his fear across through his expression but he feels like the pup is anxious already. Yunho does look... a lot less panicked than himself but the cat hybrid can still see a bead of sweat down the side of his boyfriends face, indicating stress. 

Was... there was really a chance Seonghwa could be.... he dint even want to say it. Just the thought made him so scared he felt sick to his stomach. _Fuck_ wait- shit... were those stomach cramps? Did that just confirm it?

Yunho has been rubbing the cat hybrid’s back this entire time, trying to get the older boy to calm down but... how could anyone expect Seonghwa to stay calm in a situation like this? He just had to stake it out until the end of the conversation or the end of the karaoke party or whatever...

That ends up taking close to an hour, one long sweaty, stressed out hour that might as well have been weeks with how long it stretched out in Seonghwa’s head. The moment everyone but Mingi and Hongjoong were hanging back, the cat hybrid gives Yunho another glance and nods his head towards Hongjoong. Yunho just nods back and suddenly announces. “Hey I... might have left my card out in the car... Mingi, would you help me get it?” He perks his ears up enthusiastically.

Mingi giggles. “You’re scared or something? You’re a big boy, Yunho I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

The pup persists. “Well yeah, but... I feel like the combined effort of both our tallness will be sure to scare off strangers. Like, fifty percent more scare rate... or something.” Seonghwa’s heart warmed at the pup’s attempt to distract their friend. Why did Yunho have to be so cute at a time like this?

Mingi sighs, admitting defeat. “Fine... you want me to hold your hand on the way out too?” He asks teasingly.

Yunho looks over at Seonghwa as if asking for permission... why did the pup feel the need to do that exactly? Regardless, the cat hybrid gives him a dismissive gesture and Yunho hops up out of the booth, swinging arms with Mingi where they were holding hands as they walked out the door of the cafe.

Once they were gone, Hongjoong just snorts. “Those two are like long-lost brothers or something.” 

“Tell me about it... I think Yeosang called them the tree-trunk twins once...” Seonghwa laughs, drawing a full head-throw back from Hongjoong. It only lasts a minute though, because Seonghwa’s face returns to a serious state pretty quickly and the other feline looks taken aback.

“Hwa.. is there.... anything wrong?” He asks cautiously. Hongjoong is always careful when treading on tender ground when it comes to Seonghwa and his... multitude of problems he’s seemed to accumulate in his life. 

Seonghwa just shook his head, not in the mood to downplay things. He breaths out shakily. “Joong.... when you were talking about the lawsuit thing earlier...”

“Did it upset you?” Hongjoong immediately asks, eyes big with worry. Seonghwa shakes his head.

“No, that’s not it at all! I- Joong didn’t you say it was about a... a half canine half feline child?” He wants to make sure he heard the smaller boy right first, that it wasn’t just a slip up on his part.

But Hongjoong just nods his head, still on edge. “I- yeah... it’s a canine/feline child...” He gives Seonghwa another inquisitive look. “Hwa are you gonna ask me about like... child protection stuff for you and Yunho? Cause if so then you should go to my parents for-“

“No! No, Joong I’m not.... I don’t want anything from you it’s just...” Once again, Seonghwa can’t even bring himself to say it, voice stopping mid-sentence. It’s like his brain can’t even comprehend the idea... the idea of some little person being inside him, growing as they speak. It’s terrifying.

“Whats going on, Hwa?” Hongjoong’s voice turns firm all of a sudden. 

“How... do you know how many studies there are on canine/feline relationships?” Seonghwa starts, timid now that the other feline was worked up.

Hongjoong answers pretty quickly. “I wouldn’t think there’d be a lot... considering all the stigma and what not.” 

The older boy takes another shaky breath. “I could only find four... and all of them were from unofficial websites...” He pauses. “I only read one of them when... when the rut thing happened and I was panicking, and now I’m not sure if- if....” Seonghwa looks at Hongjoong desperately, trying to get him to understand without him saying those words out loud.

And Hongjoong gets it. His eyes gradually turn wide as Yunho’s were, hand reaches around the be placed on Seonghwa’s shoulder. He opens his mouth, then closes it as the other feline continues.

“I just... I thought we were both in the clear because were both clean and I mean... it kind of makes sense in theory right? The whole canines and felines can’t make babies thing?” He looks at Hongjoong who just looks at him with disbelief.

“Hwa... Hwa, were all the same species why would...? Okay hold on... you’re not sure yet, right?” Seonghwa shook his head, looking down at his stomach fearfully. The other feline continues. “Well when was the last time you and Yunho fucked...”

Seonghwa had to think back on that one... come to think of it, him and the dog hybrid hadn’t had full-on intercourse, like Yunho’s cock in Seonghwa’s ass for awhile now, probably a month has passed since then.... “Like... since a bit before prom?”

“Okay, wouldn’t there be signs by now? At least some...” Hongjoong muttered. “I don’t know, I’m not a queen I wouldn’t know.” He says offhandedly, and fo Seonghwa, it sounds like he’s dismissing the situation.

“You think I have any clue!? You’re the educated one here, I didn’t learn shit about myself in sex ed!” Seonghwa protests frustratedly, putting his hand in his head. He looks out at the parking lot to see Yunho leading Mingi around while the other canine was blindfolded, bumping into the back of a semi-truck. He didn’t have the energy to wonder what they were doing and why...

“I don’t... Hwa, it’s not my kid! I mean, do you _feel_ pregnant?” The younger boy looks down at Seonghwa’s stomach, seeming to x-ray it with his eyes. The older boy covers Hongjoong’s line of vision protectively by wrapping his arms around himself, not liking the peering and staring. Wait... was that his parental instincts kicking in?!

“I’m screwed... I’m so fucking screwed...” Seonghwa says mostly to himself, irritated with Hongjoong at the moment.

The other feline just takes a deep breath to calm himself, returning to the argument with a gentler voice. Seonghwa is glad... he needs that right now. “Hwa, I’m sorry about.... yeah. I’m sorry for freaking out I know it’s not helping, is it.”

Seonghwa doesn’t look up, still holding his belly tight. “It’s okay... I just- Joong what if I really am? Is it at least less likely?” He asked hopefully.

“Well yeah... the different hybrid types should mess with the fertility rates I think.... that makes sense, right?” Fuck... Hongjoong didn’t know a thing... he didn’t know any better than Seonghwa did and the cat hybrid was kind of freaking out now, even more than before. Hongjoong continues. “I mean... there’s still a large chance you wouldn’t actually be pregnant, Hwa. Don’t panic just yet.” He tries to reassure.

“Too late for that...” Seonghwa mutters, unwrapping himself but still keeping a hand firmly over his stomach, trying to feel around or sense anything out of the ordinary. Seonghwa’s tummy is smooth with hard tone and quite slim, though he bloated slightly after he ate... There wasn’t anything immediate he noticed, maybe a grumble here or there that managed to make his tail puff up in fear. But then again that could just be because he was hyper-vigilant of his stomach now...

“Notice anything...?” Hongjoong asks tentatively, continuing his narrative after Seonghwa doesn’t say anything. “Even if you and Yunho were the same species... there’s always a chance you wouldn’t be pregnant, Hwa. Even after several instances, that’s just life.”

The older boy would like to believe him, he really would but Hongjoong probably has no idea the sheer amount of... gusto... that came with an alpha, especially in a rut. Seonghwa’s mind flashes back to every time in the past few months Yunho’s pumped him up full, kept it all plugged inside him for hours after... there was no way he wasn’t knocked up at this point.

Weren’t alphas _meant_ to do that though? Wasn’t that the purpose of the ruts and all those extra features in the first place? The cat hybrid can remember several instances during the pup’s ruts when Yunho had paid extra attention to his tummy, gently kissing and holding it after they were spent... Of course Yunho hadn’t been meaning to knock him up but maybe his subconscious had in some ways.

“Are you going to get a test...?” Hongjoong questioned. 

Seonghwa is shaking now, clutching at his shirt and looking down at the table. “I- I’m not sure...” He felt anxious about the thought of testing for... that.... right now. All the cat hybrid really wishes is that he could curl up and forget this ever happened... better yet go back in time and slap himself for being so careless. Hongjoong was right, they’re the same species for fucks sake! How could he be so stupid?

“I need... I need Yunho. I need him right now.” The pup’s scent would probably calm him down enough to get him to think straight at least... but Seonghwa didn’t know... he didn’t know how his boyfriend would react. All he had seen was Yunho’s blank stare... he knew Yunho would never blame him for anything of the sort but... would the pup be just as scared as he is?

“Okay... but Hwa before you go... maybe I could ask my parents for a doctors appointment?” Hongjoong offered, helping Seonghwa gather himself and stand from the booth. They pay at the front of the cafe, not needing Yunho’s ‘lost card’ after all and stand nearby the entrance idly. Hongjoong looks at him with empathy in his eyes. “I can help you out, Hwa. Just say the word.”

Seonghwa weighed his options in his head. Getting a test from the pharmacy sounded daunting but going to the doctors sounded akin to throwing himself in a pit of lava at this point in time. But then again, he would probably be able to ask said doctor questions he wouldn’t find online, about his and Yunho’s relationship... that is, if Hongjoong’s parents managed to find a good doctor who wouldn’t kick them at the first mention.

“Could you just... ask them to give me some suggestions?” Seonghwa asks, looking down at Hongjoong hopefully.

The tabby boy smiles back. “Of course, Hwa.... I’ll text you and if it sounds good, I can have them schedule an appointment for you.”

“That’d be.... that’d be amazing, Joong.” Seonghwa said with relief, feeling slightly hopeful for the first time since the revelation. He looks out at the parking lot to see Yunho and Mingi sat at a bench next to the car, under the the light of the street lamp. Its dark out by now, only a faint line of light coasting over the horizon. He sighs, opening the door with Hongjoong and walking out towards the bench. When he approaches the two, Mingi jumps in his seat, holding up a fist before relaxing when he recognizes the two felines.

“Seonghwa... you gave me a heart attack...” He laughs.

“Mingi and me were talking about how often murders occur in parking lots...” Yunho explains, giggling as Mingi does a visible shudder. The pup looks back up at Seonghwa, eyes holding so many questions that the cat hybrid needed time to answer. He gives Hongjoong one last wave before ushering Yunho up off the bench. 

“I’m sorry, Mingi but... it’s been a long day...” Seonghwa tries for cover up, holding his boyfriends hand like his life depended on it. Yunho squeezes back.

“I get it.... Yunho send me that article about the true crime thing you were talking about?” The Wolf hybrid adds at the end. 

“Oh, and.” Mingi continues last minute, coming close again. “I... i think you guys are really brave for doing that.... it takes guts to stand up to the status quo I’m sure...” He smiles down at the cat hybrid and Seonghwa thinks in that moment that Mingi looks just like an eager puppy in his own right. 

He smiles back at him. “You’re... that means a lot, Mingi, trust me it does.” He tries to sound as grateful and reassuring as he could without his mind traveling back to the situation at hand. He had thanked everyone else in their friends group, it would be strange not to do the same for Mingi.

The moment they’ve said their last goodbyes, and Seonghwa and Yunho strap into their seatbelts, Seonghwa can’t take it anymore. He just... can’t take anything right now. He feels the tears falling before he even realizes he’s crying, wet droplets clouding up his vision and wet sobs beginning to spill from his mouth, increasing at rapid speed.

Yunho reacted almost immediately, Seonghwa’s half sure he was alert before he even started crying, wrapping his own form around the smaller boy’s best he could in the car. “Hyung, starlight... it’s okay. It’s gonna be okay we’re gonna be okay...” He said over and over again, pressing kisses into his boyfriends cheeks, effectively getting rid of any tear that straggles there. 

Seonghwa feels humiliated, he feels stupid and irresponsible, just every bad thing at once. And whats worse, him and Yunho would have to pay for it too. He didn’t know if abortion clinics had restrictions for people like them... he didn’t know if they’d be allowed to see any doctors, get the help and information they needed. Seonghwa was _not_ ready to bring a child into the world that was for sure. 

He whimpered as Yunho continued to hold him, burying his face in the taller boys chest, trying to dry his tears there and breath in as much of Yunho’s scent as he could, the fragrance of peaches and cream filling his senses and easing his mind. He doesn’t want to think..

“Did you get to talk to Hongjoong fully?” Yunho asks, breaking up to slow decline of consciousness Seonghwa was currently going through. 

The cat hybrid sniffles. “I did.... he said he’d get us a doctor’s appointment but... I didn’t want to agree until you did too.” 

“Hyung...” Yunho looks upset. “Hyung, you don’t have to ask me for anything... it’s your body you get to decide.” His eyes were tearing up, close to crying as well... and Seonghwa felt the need to recover, to be strong in front of Yunho, cradle him close but it wasn’t working. “What do you need?” The pup asked.

Seonghwa shook his head repeatedly, feeling himself calming nonetheless. “I need... to forget this ever happened. I need to go home, to our home.” He clarified at the end.

Yunho nodded. “You want me to play some music?”

“Please...” The older boy shuddered in his seat until Yunho placed a hand on his thigh and squeezed slightly, grounding him in place, bringing the cat hybrid back down to earth. Yunho plays some soft classical music, turning the volume down low and letting the long, drawn out sympathy ease Seonghwa’s mind. The pup really knew how to calm him down.

By the time they reach the house, Seonghwa had been having a somewhat-peaceful debate in his head about the situation... and decided he was... going to have to deal with it. One way or another. He tried to separate himself from the situation, think rationally like Yeosang would. Yeah, what would Yeosang do? Yeosang would say it’s best to stop moping and do what he needs to do with how things are, not dwell on what he could have, _should_ have done.

“I’m sorry for being so... emotional today, puppy.” He says to Yunho while still seated in the car. Yunho just sighs back, giving Seonghwa another pained look.

“You’re in no place to apologize for anything, Hyung.” Yunho says back firmly. “And I’m not letting you argue me on that.” And so Seonghwa doesn’t try to argue. He texts hongjoong then and there about setting up an appointment, and that was that. They’d see a doctor first thing the next morning. 

Yunho held his hand as they walked upstairs. He leaves Seonghwa in his room. “I’m going to take a shower, okay Hyung?” The younger boy left down the hall to the bathroom, the sound of the shower running following.

Once Seonghwa was alone, he stripped down to his underwear and ran his hands carefully down his body, looking at himself in the mirror up and down, getting a side view to really check is his belly was bloated unnaturally or not. He looked... the same. Seonghwa was sure his eyes must be playing tricks on him when he did a double take and questioned himself, tilting his head at his figure in the mirror. Still long and slim as ever, broad shoulders, little waist... he pulled his tail around so he could hold it, a form of security for him and played with the fur there, flicking his ears as he realized how spiky it had become.

I mean... he thinks to himself and comes to a conclusion... being knocked up wouldn’t be the end of the world. Definitely wasn’t the worst that could happen to him. He’d just get it out of him and go on as usual... if only the process were that simple.

He must have been there for quite a while because Yunho comes back though the door not a few seconds later, shirtless with a towel wrapped around his waist. He pauses though, when he sees Seonghwa in front of the mirror, standing back as the older boy continued to examine himself. The cat hybrid asks. “Do I look... different to you?” 

Yunho smiles at him. “You look beautiful.” He says, eyes warm and truthful. “But that’s nothing new...” 

Seonghwa gives his boyfriend a sweet smile before walking up to the pup and wrapping his arms around the taller boy’s neck, letting Yunho bury his head in his neck. The pup whines and kissed him there, lapping at the skin after he did.

“Asked Hongjoong if his parents could schedule an appointment tomorrow...” Seonghwa murmured when Yunho resurfaced, swiping aside the pup’s flighty golden locks to see his face. Yunho’s expression turns from affectionate to serious immediately.

“Do you want to get the test done there?” He asks.

“Just to be sure, yeah...” Seonghwa continues. “I just want to ask a few questions too... about like, risks and healthcare and stuff...”

Yunho nodded, smiling and giving Seonghwa one last kiss on his jaw and skipping over to the dresser, rooting through the top drawer for his matching pajamas. It was a useless effort, since Seonghwa normally ended up pulling them off while cuddling anyway but the pup still dug it the bottom of the drawer to find the matching shirt. 

“You know if you folded your clothes it’d be easier to find things...” Seonghwa reminds him.

“Too much effort...” The pup mutters. He sheds the towel around his waist then and there, butt-naked for Seonghwa to enjoy every inch of his boyfriend’s bare skin. The cat hybrid sits back on the bed and just watches, mesmerized by the taller boy, to which Yunho just giggles and turns red all the way down to his chest. “You like what you see?” He asks with a goofy grin.

“You’re so fucking hot...” Seonghwa just says blatantly, causing the pup to double over in laughter. The cat hybrid flicks his ears. “It’s true!” 

“I’m gonna swoon, Hyung... your words are so poetic... write me a book on it sometime...” Yunho joked, pretending to faint for a second

Seonghwa just laughs, looking his boyfriend up and down again. “Your cock is ridiculous, puppy...” He just continues when Yunho blushes even more. “I thought I’d get split in two when you pulled that thing out...”

“I’m surprised you’re still on good terms with it actually.” Yunho laughs, unapologetically referring to his dick in that way. Seonghwa can’t help but burst out laughing. Yunho continues. “Considering it’s the reason we’re in this mess.”

“Puppy...” Seonghwa assures him. “I hold no ill will towards your giant cock whatsoever.” They both start laughing then, Yunho trying to get dressed quicker to evade anymore dick talk. Seriously though, Seonghwa held no grudges towards Yunho for this... it was just as much his fault as it was Yunho’s.

The cat hybrid sat down on the bed and twitched an ear in annoyance as he checked to find any changes again. Seonghwa held onto his belly with one hand, still terrified at the thought of there being a... a little person in there. A puppy... or would it be a kitten? He wasn’t sure.

“Hyung...” Yunho proceeded to get down on his knees in front of Seonghwa, holding the older boy’s hand and looking up earnestly. “Hyung i just wanted you to know that if... if the tests are positive... and if you decide to go through with it, then I promise I’ll do everything I can to be a good father... for the puppy and you.” He looks so... honest and willing. Seonghwa found it so sweet how seriously he was taking this.

“Oh puppy...” Seonghwa cradled the pup’s face in his hand, marveling at how Yunho moves with it, chasing the touch probably subconsciously. “I’m nineteen, Yunho... I can’t have a baby right now and you’re _definitely_ not ready to be a father.” He smiles, imagining Yunho trying to run after a toddler, keep constant watch over them. The younger boy might as well be a toddler himself at times with how playful and innocent he appeared to be... 

“Just making sure...” Yunho looks relieved nonetheless... No, they weren’t ready to have children no matter how much Seonghwa longed for a child in the future... he has his whole life ahead of him. And Yunho was only fresh out of high school at this point, how could they even make that work? How was Yunho so ready to stop everything he was doing for this?

And then there was the added pressures of society, the environment a child like theirs would have to grow up in... the kid would be shunned even more than him and Yunho were. He wouldn’t wait for him and Yunho to be together but... he would definitely wait when it came to having children.

“You’re sweet, puppy...” Seonghwa patted the space in the bed next to him and scooted over, inviting the younger boy to join him. Yunho wagged his tail happily and slotted himself in against the cat hybrid, clothed back flush against Seonghwa’s bare chest

“Turn around a sec...” Yunho asks, flipping onto his side and moving up against Seonghwa’s back as he brings his arm around, brushing the older boy’s shoulder and arm all the way down to lightly ghost over his stomach, barely touching the skin there. “Can I... can I touch, Hyung?” He sounds so considerate and nervous.

Seonghwa would purr if he wasn’t upset now... “You can, puppy..” He shifts closer, holding Yunho’s hand in his own and placing it against his tummy, letting the pup feel for any changes, anything that would suggest something out of the ordinary.

Yunho’s fingers splay out and cup around it so gently, pressing his palm down, feeling the older boy’s smooth stomach under his hand, circling his thumb around soothingly. After a second, the pup lets his palm relax, still placed over Seonghwa’s tummy as if to shield it. “Nothing I can sense...” Yunho says. 

“You don’t seem that upset about it...” Seonghwa says in the darkness, feeling Yunho’s hand still cradling his tummy like it was the most precious thing in the world, like it was something that needed to be protected. Seonghwa laughs. “Are you happy about this?” It’s partially a joke, but the older boy is actually curious... he did hope Yunho was taking this seriously.

Yunho doesn’t respond for a moment, then he says. “I think my alpha likes it... jut a bit though. I regret everything at this point...” So his instincts _liked_ the idea of Seonghwa being... potentially knocked up. The cat hybrid finds that... kind of adorable honestly. Maybe Yunho feels proud of himself?

“I mean... I doubt you’re actually pregnant, Hyung.” There it was, the dreaded p-word Seonghwa had been avoiding saying the whole evening... But Yunho was right. No throwing up or getting weird cravings or chest swelling or anything of the sort in sight... “But... I mean... it’s kind of crazy, right?”

“What do you mean?” The cat hybrid asks. He can practically see the soft, gentle smile Yunho must be giving him right now, breath soft on his neck.

“I mean... this means we can have a baby one day...” Yunho says, breathless. Seonghwa’s heart broke a little at those words... he had never thought of it that way. Him and Yunho had believed all this time pregnancy between them wasn’t possible but now... they could actually raise a family from themselves, and Yunho seemed to be just as positive about the idea as Seonghwa was.

“I want a baby...” Seonghwa murmured, voice barely viable. Yunho stiffens next to him suddenly and the older boy smacks his arms lightly. “Not right now, puppy!”

The younger boy stammers. “Hyung, you were about to give me a heart attack!” 

“Pup... you know I wouldn’t put all that responsibility on you at this age... no babies, okay?”

“Yet.” Yunho corrects.

“Yet.” Seonghwa agrees, pushing at Yunho behind him. “You gonna move?”

Yunho doesn’t move a muscle. “Can we stay like this for the night?” Meaning with Seonghwa being the little spoon. The cat hybrid complies, staying curled up in a little ball in Yunho’s arms, feeling smaller than ever at the moment. The pup makes a small, contented sound and buried his face in the older boy’s hair.

“You just want to hold my stomach, don’t you, puppy...” Seonghwa teased. Yunho’s hand is indeed still cradling his tummy so gently... as if the older boy was really with child... Seonghwa continued. “Such a sweet, sweet puppy...”

“Hyung...” Yunho whined.

“Such a sweet alpha...” Seonghwa continued, pressing back against the taller boy and holding his hand closer. He wanted... he wanted Yunho to hold him like this forever he thinks.... 

Yunho giggles, smoothing his thumb over the skin on the cat hybrid’s stomach. “Hyung... don’t do that...”

“Why not?”

“It’ll make me go into alpha mode....” Yunho whines. “Like, want to fuck mode and I don’t think that’s what we need right now...” That was. sad but true. They didn’t have knotting condoms or pills or anything of the sort on hand... and Seonghwa didn’t want to send Yunho into some kind of frenzy. The pup just sighs. “Let’s sleep...”

“Fine, pup..” Seonghwa purrs, getting comfy, which wasn’t hard. Him and Yunho seemed to always slot together perfectly like that. “But you’re still a good alpha. Nothing changes that.”

The last thing Yunho does is let out a deep, happy hum. And Seonghwa almost forgets that night falling asleep in his boyfriend’s arms how distraught he had been not an hour ago. His sleep was sweet and dreamless, Yunho’s scent surrounding him like a blanket. No babies, no nothing. Just him and Yunho in a deep slumber, curled up together.

And that was how things should be... for now.

_______

“Do we need to like, prepare for questions?” Yunho asked nervously as Seonghwa popped another potato into his mouth. “They’ve always got those little clipboards I mean... don’t we want to make a good impression?” 

“Pup, your acting like the doctor is going to interrogate us...” Seonghwa laughed, still managing to scarf up his breakfast as he did. “Hongjoong’s parents said she doesn’t care, won’t treat us any differently then other patients...”

“I feel like I’m a guinea pig or something though... like how many people like us do you think they get at the doctors, Hyung?”

“You’re so weird...” Seonghwa giggles and Yunho was at least happy ha managed to make his boyfriend laugh out of this. The truth was he was nervous for the doctors. More nervous fr Seonghwa than he was for himself. Actually probably ninety percent Seonghwa worrying and the rest was probably hunger. He needed to eat....

And it doesn’t get any better when they’re at the actual office either. Yunho is just going to let Seonghwa do most of the talking for this one and sit back to process his anxieties. Doctor Park calls the two of them in ten minutes after they arrive, and the pair are greeted in the office by a tiny fluffy cat hybrid middle-aged lady with square glasses. Yunho felt judged. 

The doctor went over both their vitals, talked about the pregnancy test and what Seonghwa would have to do... it sounded simple enough. She lists off all of the notes she’s gotten from their case, Yunho sending Seonghwa’s scent, the rut dynamics and all that night gritty stuff. Yunho is actually fine with that too, its when she asks if they have any questions the pup shrinks back a bit.

“So just to confirm... canines and felines can have babies...” Seonghwa starts, meeting the stoic stare of the cat hybrid across from him.

“It’s definitely possible, since it’s happened.” The doctor says, slightly condescending but Yunho feels like they deserve it at this point. “But there are limitations, as you asked.”

“What kind of... limitations are we talking about? Like birth defects...?” Yunho questioned nervously.

“Not at all. Mixed babies for the most part exhibit the same general behavior that non-mixed ones do.” The doctor confirmed.

“So there’s no difference.” Seonghwa raises an eyebrow.

“Not exactly...” Doctor Park adds. “See, the differing hybrid genes do play a role in the conception periods... there is a percentage of chance there will be no pregnancy because of the differing structures... about 4 times less likely to occur if you want numbers.” That... made sense. 

Seonghwa nodded. “So no special stds?” That had been one of the rumors spreading in the early days fo high school,

“None.” She says promptly. “But this is no reason not to use protection.” She reminds them. “I’d suggest putting your money towards some good condoms or pills soon.”

“We will.” Yunho speaks up. He’d go to the pharmacy first thing after this and buy the best condoms he could find.... he never wanted to deal with this situation again.

“Would you like to take your test now?” The doctor asked politely, gathering up the test and preparing it on her desk, laying out a plastic bag and small thermometer looking thing.

“Please.” Seonghwa took up the bag in his hand, looking back at Yunho while shaking the bag slightly. He moves towards the door with one last touch to his boyfriends back and then he’s gone, off to the bathrooms.

The room is completely silent after Seonghwa leaves, only the faint sound of Doctor Park rustling through documents in the corner. Yunho was sweating... why was he sweating? Him and Seonghwa had concluded last night there was no way the older boy was pregnant, this was just to confirm once and for all, rest the cat hybrid’s mind.

So why was he so nervous, why was he mentally preparing to have Seonghwa leave the office crying later on. He’ll be fine, just fine... both of them will be fine.

“You two have known each other awhile, haven’t you?” It’s Doctor Park speaking. Yunho nods.

“Since we were nine and eight.”

“Sheesh...” The doctor cringes back. “If I was with my husband since then I’d have killed him already.” It’s probably meant to be funny but Yunho doesn’t laugh. 

Seonghwa opens the door back up with a creak, the bag zip locked up clutched in his hands. He looks terrified. “Do I just...” He hands the bag to Doctor Park.

“It’ll be a few minutes, just sit tight.” She takes the bag from Seonghwa and sets it on the desk, observing the contents through the plastic. It feels like a lifetime had passed, all with Seonghwa tapping away at the floor with his heel nervously.... Yunho didn’t know why he himself was nervous. Once again why was he anxious about this? Hadn’t they confirmed themselves earlier?

Even so, Yunho can feel a sense of euphoria rising in him when he hears the words. “It’s negative.” Doctor Park confirms, voice stoic and emotionless as ever, holding the test results up to the couple. But Yunho and Seonghwa aren’t paying attention to the official sheets. Seonghwa turns to yunho immediately and hugs him, letting it a breath of relief which Yunho returns. They had already known really seeing as there was no changes to Seonghwa’s physique or symptoms shown but... it was still a weight lifted off both their shoulders.

“Puppy...” Seonghwa pulls back and looks at his boyfriend, eyes watery. “We’re not having a baby..” 

“We’re not having a baby..” Yunho smiles back, just as silly and relieved. It might sound ridiculous to anyone else watching, heck, Yunho was quite sure Doctor Park was judging them harshly right now but he didn’t care. This was important, just as much to him as Seonghwa. They had both been really scared the other day for a second there....

“That concludes our session.” Doctor Park’s voice cuts into their moment. The couple separates reluctantly

“I could sign you up for official therapy sessions, with me of course. You’re a mated couple, correct?” Doctor Park looks between the two of them confusedly. What? Why would the doctor think that, exactly?

“...no?” Yunho says, unsure of himself now that doctor park was giving him the ‘you’re fucking with me, right?’ face. He... he was pretty sure he _couldn’t_ mate with Seonghwa, at least officially. To make someone your mate you’d traditionally mark the area of their neck where their scent glands were found, where the skin was extra sensitive. Felines, from what Yunho knew didn’t have scent glands.

Yunho had brought up the idea in his mind once or twice, him and Seonghwa being mates but he’d never minded at all the fact that they couldn’t. It didn’t lessen his bond with the older boy in any way whatsoever.

“You two show all signs of a mated couple... I don’t understand I guess is what I’m saying.” Doctor Park laughed a bit at the end of her sentence, looking at both of them expectantly. “Come on, you can’t say you aren’t, the fact that you.” She points at Yunho .”Can sense a recognizable scent from him just proves it.”

“You’re... you’re joking, right?” Yunho wonders then and there if they’ve just trusted their personal information to a total lunatic. “Seonghwa doesn’t have a scent gland, I can’t mate with him like, physically can’t.” 

Seonghwa looks at Yunho confusedly. “Wait, what?! Pup what’s this all about?” Shit... he never told Seonghwa about that _shit_. “We can’t mate? Since when?”

Yunho turned to his boyfriend now. “Hyung... I’m sorry we should have discussed this sooner, right?” He can feel himself blushing from guilt. “You don’t have a scent gland... I’m pretty sure felines don’t anyways... and I can’t make the mating mark without one.” He explains. “But that doesn’t in any way mean we aren’t connected...” He starts, but the pup is interrupted by Doctor Park.

“That’s absolutely correct but also you’re completely wrong.” She says in an announcer voice, gaining the attention of the two again. “Mating marks are not the only method of mating, a common misconception actually.” 

A... misconception? What?! What’s Yunho been being told his whole life then, about the mating marks and the whole process and all that... was it all just bullshit? “Can you... can you explain further?”

Doctor Park nodded. “My knowledge is limited, as this isn’t my expertise but I can send you some articles later on if you’d like.” Seonghwa made a hurry up gesture.

“Okay... but what’s the whole thing about mating and the no mark thing.” Seonghwa was obviously still confused about what Yunho had said but he was backing up the pup’s question, most likely just as curious as he was.

Doctor Park cleared her throat. “Basically, recent studies have come out that completely wiped out everything we’ve known about mating thus far.” She looks between the two of them. “Mating ‘marks’ are becoming a more broadened concept, only confirmed by a study still going on about a mated couple who experience typical mating mark symptoms but in their tattoos.”

Yunho was... dumbfounded really. In... in tattoos? Him and Seonghwa didn’t have tattoos but... if this was going where he thought it was going... 

“The mating bond is most often created through the traditional marks because of the purpose put into them. That’s why that spot evolved to be more tender than most others.” She continued. “But this bond can be created through any physical link really. For example, matching tattoos serve the same purpose as the mating mark.”

And him and Seonghwa... they both seemed to look down at the same exact time, in complete tandem. Down at their bracelets. Those little bows there, shiny satin matching perfectly, wrapped snug to his wrist. And everything... everything in that moment seems to snap into place.

From the moment Seonghwa first gave Yunho that little bow at recess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah the grand reveal... tho most people guessed in the comments already. feel like i made it pretty obv
> 
> bittersweet news actually... the next one or two chapters will officially mark the finale for tiny little bows!! im so happy ive gotten to bring my brainchild of an au to life this way, and have it be received so positively on top of that!! 
> 
> hope you all enjoyed, and thank you for reading!! <3


	23. Ribbon Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter twenty three!! i was hoping we would end perfectly on twenty five chapters but i guess 24 is also my fav number so it works out fine like that too!!
> 
> it’s been a week since the last update and i hope you all understand, it’s been a bit of struggle to keep up with everything non-writing related lately... i allowed myself a few rest days and im feeling much better tho! thank you for your patience
> 
> i hope you all enjoy reading!! <3

“Let me see your wrist, pup...” Yunho’s heart beats faster and his vision is gradually coming into bright, blaring focus when the cat hybrid next to him suddenly grabs his wrist, all but yanking Yunho over the his side of the car. 

Yunho can’t... describe the amount of happiness and relief that had bloomed in his chest when it had finally dawned on him. Him and Seonghwa had sat through the rest of the doctors visit with straight faces but the pup was bouncing in his seat and wagging his tail out of sheer excitement and happiness the whole time, Seonghwa having to shush him like a mindful parent at times. He had thought Seonghwa was on the same track as him but the older boy seems stressed, not overjoyed. He almost seemed to be upset...

“I don’t... understand...” Seonghwa turned Yunho’s wrist once over in his hand and then compared the ribbon to his own, as if trying to pinpoint some kind of little indicator of their bond but... the indicator was right there. It was their ribbons, simple as that. Yunho put his other hand over his boyfriends. 

“Hyung... do you want to talk about it?” Yunho was worried about the cat hybrid’s erratic, jostled movements as he looked over their bracelets skeptically.

Seonghwa shook his head immediately, not as a response but more in confusion. “It’s- it’s just a ribbon..” He muttered, half to himself. “How could-“

“It’s never been _just_ a ribbon, Hyung.” Yunho cuts him off quick. Seonghwa was clearly speaking circles around the truth here, not even having realized it. Yunho himself was... actually not even surprised at this point because... it made perfect sense really. “You should know that better than anyone else... you were the one who gave it to me.” He spoke tenderly to his boyfriend. 

Because everything really _did_ make a lot more sense now... Yunho isn’t even sure when the bond was initiated officially... was it from the beginning of high school when they first made the friendship bracelets, or had it been that night in the park when they had switched to baby blue? Or had it been somewhere in the middle, and the bracelets had randomly just taken on a more important meaning?

“Did... did we fuck up again? In canine culture.... I know this isn’t like... marriage or anything. But it’s extremely important, right?” Of course Seonghwa didn’t know that much about mates... with their shitty sex ed all throughout school it made sense.

“It’s... it’s deeper than that I think.” Yunho had limited knowledge as well because of his, well, not knowing he’d had a mate all this time. “It’s like... it’s a connection on a high emotional level. You need to be really close to have it, Hyung.” And him and Seonghwa had it... him and Seonghwa had been connected like this the whole time and honestly Yunho didn’t know if he could love anyone more... it was positively perfect this way.

The older boy still seems to be confused. “But... I’m... that just makes it seem worse for us, doesn’t it?”

Yunho can feel his heart splinter at the sight of Seonghwa’s big, dark, watery eyes. “H- how is this worse...? This just confirms it... we’ve always belonged to each other, Hyung.” He smiles slightly, looking down at his boyfriend, concerned. The pup feels like he’s grasping to bring Seonghwa back down to earth from his mind, which seems to be spiraling.

The

“That’s just it though...” The cat hybrid continues. “This- this is why you never liked anyone else.... it’s why you started thinking of me as your omega... It was never out of the blue hormones stuff, it’s was- you just wanted to be with your mate...”

“And it just shows that we’ve been connected this whole time...” Yunho finishes for him, taking Seonghwa’s hand in his and smiling.

“And now I know just how much I must have hurt you... when I went off with Hongjoong and tried to forget about you.” Seonghwa tears up, voice shrill. “When I... when I turned you down that one night.... you were just telling me what I should have already known. I had been cheating on you... and hurting you.”

“Wait, what?” Yunho was suddenly the confused one. What.... what night? What night had Seonghwa turned him down...? Did Yunho actually forget something _that_ crucial in their relationship? Fuck... it didn’t matter right now. No, nothing mattered besides getting his boyfriend to calm down, helping him not have a panic attack or something. “It... never mind. Hyung, how could you even think something like that?”

Seonghwa buried his face into Yunho’s side to his his face, still crying. “This is why you were so attached to me... you couldn’t help it, and I betrayed that bond! I tried to resist it every moment until prom...” He kept spiraling more and more. “I’m... I was so stupid... how could I not realize we were _mates_ for fucks sake, that’s the closest you can possibly get!” 

“You’re not stupid, Hyung...” He hated that... he hated the way Seonghwa put himself down so easily like that. Seonghwa was anything but stupid and their relationship being prolonged _certainly_ wasn’t all on him. They both had made pretty dumb decisions leading up to prom. Yunho’s sure that he himself was more to blame than Seonghwa was.

“No, you don’t get to do that...” Seonghwa still insisted. “You don’t get to give me a pass for this... I fucked up, Yunho... I need to hold myself to that.”

“But you _didn’t_ , Hyung. You didn’t know!” The pup pressed on. Seonghwa was blaming himself for every aspect of their relationship being dragged out like this, which was absolutely ridiculous.

“You were always there to give me all the affection I could ask for... I should have returned that, and I didn’t. I was blinded by my own doubt..” The cat hybrid looked absolutely crushed, ears drawn back, face red with tears and form crumpled in on himself... Yunho whined, leaning down to nudge his forehead against his boyfriends.

“Don’t say that, Hyung...” Yunho insisted, keeping close to Seonghwa and squeezing the older boy’s hand. “The last thing I want is for you to start blaming yourself like you always do...” Just because he had been fixated on Seonghwa in the time they knew each other didn’t mean that the older boy was supposed to be the same... and no matter how much his relationship with Hongjoong had upset the younger, Seonghwa had gained an irreplaceable friend through that process, the first feline friend he had gotten. Yunho knows that was important to him.

“Just...” The older boy rubs some of the tears away from his face, shaking his head. “Let me make it up to you? Please.... I want to be good to you, I want to give back.” But Seonghwa had already given him everything he could ask for and more... just by being here right now, just by living really... Seonghwa’s shaped so much of his life and only continues to do so every day... that was beyond anything Yunho could have imagined before he had met the cat hybrid.

“You’re enough... just by being here... you've always been enough.” The pup tried to turn Seonghwa’s views around once more but he felt like his efforts were useless at this point...

“And I want to make you feel like _you’re_ enough. Because I certainly haven’t in the past.” Seonghwa responds, looking straight at Yunho with complete seriousness, face still red and puffy from crying.

“You have... Hyung you’re still my best friend, the best I’ve ever had... we’ve always been this way and you’ve _always_ made me feel special, made me feel loved.”

Seonghwa shakes his head and leans against Yunho’s shoulder. “I want to be good to you... more than I have, that’s all really... you can’t argue with that, puppy.”

And he can’t... or at least he doesn’t want to try convincing Seonghwa of something the older probably wouldn’t bend on. So instead Yunho just presses a long, tender kiss into his Hyung’s forehead, releasing with a soft little contented sound and moving up to nose at his ears. Seonghwa was only shaking slightly by now and his crying had subsided mostly... 

“It’s not all that bad though, Hyung...” Yunho could feel himself breaking. “Hyung we’re _mates_. You’re my mate. We’re a bonded pair.” Even saying it as a confirmation made Yunho’s heart thud and thunder loudly in his chest... a few years ago he never thought he’d ever get a mate because he didn’t think he’d liked anyone enough to have that type of bond. Any canine that was eligible he’d turned down.... but now, now he had a mate. Him and Seonghwa belonged to each other.

But even then that brought up more questions.... Had their bond been there for longer than that? And there was always the possibility that they’ve been mates since they were still kids... could kids even have mates? Did that make sense?

“I’m happy about that... I really am, I love being your mate, puppy...” Seonghwa smiles sadly at him. “And I’m going to try and be the best mate I can be for you... I promise.” His words were sincere and only made Yunho’s heart ache more.. how could he even begin to to tell Seonghwa just how much he meant to him in word form? It seemed impossible...

“And I’ll be the best mate to you, Hyung....” Yunho thought for a second before continuing. “You’re my one and only.” The pup says. “You’ve always been that to me... ever since I met you. You were the only one for me.” He says, remembering the first time he laid eyes on Seonghwa like it was yesterday, like he was looking at the older boy anew again. Yunho can remember wondering why someone as pretty as Seonghwa might be talking to him... why he continued to talk to him every day. He had been doomed from the start it seemed.

And his heart let loose another long, satisfied ache when Seonghwa’s face lit up in front of him, eyes still shiny with leftover tears so they looked like they might hold an entire galaxy in them, so wide and happy... Yunho would forever cherish that smile in his heart and lock it away in his memories.

On their way home, Yunho planned on running a bath for the both of them when they got back to the house... they both needed some relaxation this afternoon, and the pup was perfectly content to just doze the rest of the day away, tend to his boyfriend the way he needed to, the way he wanted to. Seonghwa had just gone through the stress of possibly being pregnant and now he was thinking to himself he hadn’t been good to Yunho all this time with such a huge realization to process... 

When they walk through the door, Yunho’s eomma is sat cross legged on the couch, reading a book and looks up at the couple.

“You’re back soon... how was the movie, boys?” Yunho mentally slapped himself in the forehead because of course he’d forgotten he’d lied to his eomma about this whole situation... and he’d like to keep it that way. She didn’t need the added stress of that possible-accident-pregnancy mess and the inevitable ‘I told you so’ mother speech that would come soon after...

“It was... you know. Movie stuff. Not that interesting?” Yunho tried smiling to convince her but it probably just ended up looking like a nervous grin because she didn’t look convinced in the slightest. But when she sees Seonghwa looking very shaken up behind him, she just looks back to Yunho who shakes his head in response, and nods to him, returning to her reading. Yunho was grateful... he didn’t want to explain this mess to her.

She just calls up to them halfway up the stairs. “You boys want pizza later? I’m going out in a bit.” And Yunho yells back a yes and thank you. Wonderful, now his eomma wouldn’t have to go through the trauma of walking in on her son and his boyfriend in the bath together completely nude... Maybe him and Seonghwa should look into getting their own place at some point...

Once they’re upstairs, Yunho stops Seonghwa right before he get to their room, leading him back down the hall towards the bathroom. “Uhh, puppy?” The cat hybrid said warily, smiling in amusement. “What are we doing...”

“You know those days Wooyoung would always call in sick but we’d look at his social status but there’s all those pictures of him in a hot tub with cucumbers over his eyes or some shit?” Those incidents had occurred on more than one occasion, Wooyoung skipping school and _somehow_ the pup still managed to get top marks in all his classes. Yunho was half sure the boy had enlisted his own clone to do all the work for him.

“Like a spa day?” Seonghwa’s ears perked up in interest when Yunho sat him down on the toilet lid and started digging through the cabinets, pulling out all the bath bombs and bubbling soap they had hiding in the back. His eomma had collected quite a lot of unused bath products via gifts over the years from her peers. Yunho’s sure she wouldn’t mind then using some.

“Exactly. Well we’re gonna have one of those.” Yunho compared the five different multicolored bath bombs he had found, ultimately going with the pink and white one that was supposed to smell like vanilla and cardamom. 

Seonghwa giggled as Yunho began running the bath, squirting in some of the bottle that had ‘bubble fun’ advertised on the packaging. “You’re the cutest... I’m supposed to be treating you, though...”

“Come on now, Hyung... we treat each other under this roof, got it?” Yunho said as he plopped the bath bomb in. He knew Seonghwa would probably take it upon himself to singlehandedly cook meals for Yunho every day, get him chocolates, do all the cheesy stuff he knew the both of them absolutely adored... it was only fair that Yunho would give something special to Seonghwa right now.

They both stripped down and Yunho wagged his tail as he took in the sight of his boyfriend, holding Seonghwa’s hand, the one that had the little ribbon on it, their mark. It still boggled his mind every rime he looked at that little ribbon... this was their mating mark, their symbol. It challenged everything that the world had taught him about mating marks but then again.., their relationship as a whole did that on its own.

Yunho settled himself into the now bubbly and fizzed up water slowly, leaning back and holding his boyfriend’s waist as he followed, making a space between his legs for Seonghwa to rest himself and lay back against Yunho’s chest, purring steadily when he settled himself, already visibly calming down. The water rises almost to the edge of the tub, just washing against the rim so Yunho notes to himself not to move around too much. Which meant no funny business in the bathtub. Seonghwa’s tail floated up the surface of the water, fur splaying out which just shows how relaxed he must be.

A few silent but comforting minutes pass when Seonghwa says softly. “The first thing I thought when I realized I liked you was... that you could never like me back, that I was stupid to even think for a second we’d have a chance.”

“But I do like you, Hyung.” Yunho wanted to say it over and over again until his boyfriend’s mind was fully out of the past and into the present again. Yunho only continued because... he felt like Seonghwa should know everything the pup was feeling right now. “And I’ve always been yours... no mark or symbol could ever serve to prove that. Not to us or anyone else.” Yunho can see the most hidden, sensitive parts of Seonghwa’s heart get pulled up and out of him right then and there, smile widening, eyes beginning to tear up

He could feel every pang, every tug of the heartstrings that Seonghwa was feeling, every deep breath he would take to steady himself...

“It’s like...” Seonghwa begins. “It’s like I’m feeling everything so much stronger now... and I can’t even begin to explain...”

“No need...” Yunho said, voice breathless. “I can feel it too...” He can... every thought, every proclamation of love, every wish for them, for their future, every hope, every bit of it. The scent of vanilla and cardamom enters his senses and he just... relaxes with his boyfriend right up against him. 

They soak in the tub for a good half hour, just enjoying each other’s presence, cradling Seonghwa against him like he was made of glass and could break at any second. Yunho has to practically drag Seonghwa from the tub, insisting he shouldn’t even like it so much since cats weren’t supposed to like water to his sleepy, blissed out boyfriend. 

And even when everything was so calm and peaceful, even when they were wrapped up that evening in bed, Yunho’s heart kept feeling like it was about to beat out of his chest and normally the pup would be concerned but right now it was an understandable reaction. He had a _mate_. And what’s more is that his mate was the most beautiful, perfect one he could imagine having.... 

“You’re my darling... my puppy...” Seonghwa whispered to Yunho so close. “I’ll never leave you, Yunho. I promise I’ll never hurt you like that.” He takes a shaky breath. “You’re my mate... you’ve been my mate and that’s our responsibility. That’s ours.”

“I know, Hyung..” Yunho giggled at how thorough Seonghwa was being about this. He wouldn’t lie and say he didn’t love it... all this affection and attentiveness satisfied every bit of his instincts, every tug of his heart. It made him feel... loved. So so loved. “We’re stuck together.” They were.... the mating bond was one that was hard to break and... he never wanted to break away from Seonghwa.

“Wether we like it or not...” Seonghwa smiles back, eyes shut, mind drifting gently away like it’s getting fuzzier. His head nods off and falls on Yunho’s chest completely, breath steadying out.

And Yunho isn’t sure why, he’s not sure what prompts him, what triggered the deep, innermost flower blooming in his chest and filling his thoughts til he couldn’t think of anything else... but he jut lets it overflow then and there, unashamed of his feelings. He thought it must have gone unspoken but... 

“I love you, hyung...” Yunho said as he pressed one last kiss to his boyfriend’s hand, trying not to wag his tail from the nerves of finally telling the older boy that but he gets no response. The pup turns around slightly to realize Seonghwa is fast asleep already, chest rising and falling against Yunho’s back, not having heard one word.

Maybe next time then...

_______

Seonghwa woke up early that morning and the first thing he did was go downstairs and make a tall stack of pancakes for Yunho to surprise him in bed, all laid out on a tray with little edible flowers from the garden scattered across the top, and two glasses of orange juice. Yunho woke up all sleepy and whiny, asking Seonghwa to come cuddle in bed with him but the moment he saw the freshly made breakfast he was presented with he pulled the cat hybrid into a hug, hauling him onto the bed and almost spilling everything. Seonghwa just laughed along with it.

Him and Yunho continued to feed each other bites of pancake, Yunho shyly asking to lick away some of the syrup on Seonghwa’s lips to which he gladly said yes, giggling away as the pup poked his tongue between his lips and deepened it playfully, kissing Seonghwa against the sheets til he felt like he might forget what it’s like to breath. 

In the next few days Seonghwa continued to go out of his way to gift Yunho little things every day, objects and gestures that showed his affection. The cat hybrid himself was quite the romantic and Yunho loved his scent anyways so what better gift to give him than a fresh bouquet of roses set on the nightstand. That day, Seonghwa came upstairs, greeting an already awake and already overjoyed Yunho with another breakfast in bed, omelettes still hot on the plate for the both of them.

Seonghwa wished he would remember to bring his phone when he brought the pup breakfast, to capture the look on his face, that widening smile, slightly to one side of his face and big puppy eyes that made his heart melt... 

Almost a week after the doctor’s appointment, him and Yunho are heading off to the boba cafe to meet with their friends and plan the beach trip that was happening in a few days, work out who all could come and how long they were staying and such. The couple decided to walk the ways there instead of drive this time.

The first thing they hear upon entering the cafe is the loud, honestly embarrassing amount of yelling coming from the back of the room. Upon walking all the way to the back, lo and behold there’s all of their friends plus Choi San as a bonus, yapping away, arguing about... who’s boyfriend would get to come on the trip, Wooyoung or Yeosang’s, since apparently they’d get kicked out by San’s parents if they brought more than eight people. 

“Hwa, Yunho you made it!” Hongjoong waves them over and scoots him and San to the side to make room. 

“You guys are _late_.” Wooyoung makes grabby hands to pull Yunho into a tight hug across the table. “I was starting to think my sanity buddies would never return...”

“You’re hardly a member of the ‘sane crew’ if that’s what you’re trying to say.” Mingi points out.

“Okay, okay, the mediating duo is here... everyone else calm the fuck down.” Yeosang announced, looking over at Seonghwa and Yunho smugly. “So... Seonghwa, dear, bestest friend in the whole wide world...”

“You’re all brats besides Mingi and I’m not taking sides, next question.” The cat hybrid cuts him off as he sits down in the booth next to San, Yunho squeezing in next to them. It’s a tight fit for eight people in the circular booth but they seem to make it work with San basically being in Hongjoong’s lap at this point.

“Yes! Hyung, you’re _so_ right but don’t you think-“ Wooyoung starts.

“Flattery won’t work either.” Seonghwa interrupts again, laughing loudly when Wooyoung pouts ridiculously. 

“Why does everyone want Seonghwa’s vote again?” Yunho laughs along with him.

“Yeah since when is he your guys’s all or nothing vote?” Hongjoong flicks an ear.

“Probably since I’m the oldest...” 

“That doesn’t mean shit and you know it, Hyung.” Wooyoung fires back, shrieking and giggling in typical Wooyoung manner when Seonghwa gives him the icy glare. 

“They’ve been going about this for what, twenty minutes now?..” Mingi says tiredly from next to Yeosang who jumps up like he’s just got an idea. 

“Okay so... hear me out everyone. I’ll buy all you guys drinks when we get there, yeah?” The fox hybrid offers, looking around at everyone at the table for approval. 

“I don’t think I’m that much of an alcohol person anymore....” Mingi says, shivering in his seat. Seonghwa remembers the New Years disaster the wolf hybrid had turned into at San’s party earlier that year... The older boy had never been much into the stuff himself... maybe it was his parental side or something.

“I’m down!” San almost immediately yells from Hongjoong’s lap, causing Wooyoung to look like he’s about to start another argument when Hongjoong butts in

“Okay, you guys this was funny at first but now my head is starting to hurt...” “Cause you’re so old..” San teases, earning a little giggle and roll of the eyes from Hongjoong. The tabby boy puts his hands in between the quarrel, flicking both his ears in annoyance. “We need to settle this.”

“Exactly! Let’s do a thumb war!” San exclaims excitedly.

“They’ll kill each other.” Seonghwa whispers to him.

“New plan!” San yells again. “Let’s do rock paper scissors , winner gets to bring their boyfriend on the beach trip!” Seonghwa honestly didn’t give one fuck which one got to go on the trip so long as they could end this and start talking about actual plans like transportation and gas and stuff.

What follows is a set of three rock paper scissors barrels which Yeosang ends up winning, 

“Aww I’m sorry, woo...” Mingi comforts the pup. “You can send Changbin a postcard or something...” 

“You’re my _only_ friend, Mingi... this is the highest level of harassment I’ve ever experienced you guys.” The pup says jokingly, earning a laugh from San.

“Wait, are you actually upset? I didn’t mean...” Yeosang starts, sounding actually, genuinely concerned before Wooyoung waves him off, shaking his head.

“I’m cool with it... me and Binnie spend too much time around each other anyways. This’ll be like a girls night or something.” He puts an arm around Mingi. “Plus me and Mingi can be third wheelers together!” The wolf hybrid just giggles back at him.

“Wait Mingi... why weren’t you wanting to bring Hwanwoong?” Yunho asks. 

“He’s away with his parents right now anyways... going on a camping hiking thing a few hours away.” Seonghwa can feel himself shiver at the mere thought of having to camp somewhere... never again.

Wooyoung gives Yeosang an intensely smug look. “Okay, but hold up... did you actually think I was angry at you?” Oh shit... this was never going to end, was it. Two more minutes before Seonghwa was obligated to step in and shut the both of them up.

“I- I mean it’s like... I didn’t want to... It- it’s not like...!” The fox hybrid crosses his arms defensively and looks to the side, blinking like he was... Was... was Yeosang actually flustered over something that wasn’t Jongho’s antics? This was a new development and honestly, Seonghwa was intrigued at this point.

“Yeah, Yeosang answer the question.” Seonghwa tries to smoothly take a sip of Yunho’s drink but the moment it hits his mouth he realizes it was a very strong cup of coffee and sputters, struggling to swallow the bitter liquid, much to wooyoung and Hongjoong’s amusement.

But before Yeosang can answer properly, Hongjoong puts two hands loudly on the table and says. “Cool I’m glad we’re all happy now but let’s sort some things out... what about transportation.” Seonghwa found it amusing how the other feline seemed to leading the conversation, somewhat unexpected honestly.

“I vote we take Yeosang’s shitty minivan.” Mingi announces loudly above everyone, earning a gasp of betrayal from Wooyoung.

It’s them versus us part two with Wooyoung Hongjoong and Yeosang all debating over who gets to drive, the burden ultimately being handed over to Yeosang again because ‘it’s my fucking van you idiots’

The conversation then moves on to Mingi bringing his gaming console to the beach house, to which everyone was very supportive of, San even exclaiming he can bring more controllers. 

“It’ll be like a battle royale in the actual room...” Hongjoong points out. 

“Yes! Yunho, you and me, right? We’re gonna annihilate everyone here.” Mingi says excitedly.

“Hell yeah, let’s tag-team Woo and Yeo til they learn to work together!” Yunho laughs, giving the wolf hybrid a high-five from across the table.

“Oh _fuck_ no okay I’m not standing for this.” Yeosang almost stands up from his seat. “You guys have no idea how annoying these two get when they’re playing fighter games, I actually almost chucked my controller in the toilet once.”

“Hyung is gonna be a rage-quitter, watch him.” Yunho laughs, looking at his boyfriend who pretends to be offended.

“Excuse you, I’m the most graceful loser I know thank you very much.” He pushes Yunho over a bit, the pup giggling and somehow... Seonghwa’s hand finds its way to the dog hybrid’s leg, resting there on his thigh like it’s found it’s home. Yunho’s breath catches and he’s blushing, not enough to notice from anyone else’s perspective but it’s definitely there.

Seonghwa gave Yunho a questioning look to make sure he was okay with it and when he receives a little encouraging nod from the boy, he plants his hand there, letting his fingers smooth over to graze the pup’s inner thigh because it wasn’t like anyone could see under the booth...

Buts it’s when Yunho takes the discarded hoodie Seonghwa had been wearing from next to him and places it haphazardly over his lap, blushing when Seonghwa gives him a funny look that the older boy realizes... _Fuck_. Yunho is aroused by this... he got fucking half-hard just from Seonghwa touching his thigh.... that was so hot...

Seonghwa smiled to himself, feeling even more satisfied when Yeosang gives them a weird look and squints when the cat hybrid just shrugs... this was going to be interesting...

They talk for a few more minutes about various things... what kind of attractions there were at the place they were staying... Apparently there was a theme park on the coast as well so of course most of the group jumped at the idea of that. Seonghwa pretended to be excited but really... his fear of heights got the better of him when it came to roller coasters and such... maybe he could just loop the merry go round while the rest of the boys took out their energy on thrill rides and junk food...

The canines end up getting into a conversation about mates, who Yeosang and Jongho had recently made it official and Seonghwa can feel the way Yunho’s blood goes cold at the thought. He knew they both weren’t ready to announce their newfound knowledge about their bracelets but... maybe they could on the trip, or at least before classes started up again. 

Seonghwa doesn’t move his hand from Yunho’s thigh the whole time, even moving over to nose at the pup’s neck when he was sure no one was paying attention.

When it was time to go, Mingi and Yeosang hung back a bit, talking about having a gaming night at their dorm and inviting him and Yunho to come, much to Yeosang’s dismay.

“Why not, Yeo, you probably won’t lose as much when it’s a team effort!” Mingi points out.

“No... you and Yunho will turn into the disaster twins and I’ll be stuck with newbie Seonghwa over here. He thought the console was a wifi router last time he was over for fucks sake...”

Mingi just shrugs. “Yun, you wanna come? You’re free, right?”

Yunho opened his mouth, but looks over at Seonghwa then, giving him this look that says ‘please help me’ and the cat hybrid steps in, recognizing Yunho is getting pretty needy.

“We’re gonna stay behind I think...” Seonghwa turns to his boyfriend and purrs. “Right, Yunho?”

The pup nods his head frantically, gripping the cushion of the booth like he was hanging on for dear life and visibly shivering when Seonghwa squeezed his thigh as a bonus. The cat hybrid felt like he might be taking _too_ much pleasure out of how flustered his boyfriend was...

“You sure?” Mingi asks, ears perking. “Yunho I know you’ve wanted to try out my new system for awhile now...” 

“He’s got little something he needs me to take care of first...” Well... a not so-little something if they were being technical... Seonghwa didn’t mean for it to come off so suggestive but the look on Yunho’s face escalates immediately and he straight up starts coughing, much to the surprise of Mingi. Yeosang however, looks less than amused.

The fox gags while Mingi just looks on confusedly, glancing between Yunho’s bright red face and Seonghwa’s smug look like a lost puppy. “Am I missing something....” 

“It’s nothing, Mingi.... we can play video games by _ourselves_ I guess...” Yeosang mouths a ‘you guys are heathens’ while he leads Mingi out of the cafe and Seonghwa just sticks his tongue out playfully in response, giggling when the fox hybrid rolls his eyes.

“Are you okay with that? With.. not going with them?” The cat hybrid asks once Mingi and Yeosang are out the door. He knows all the questions might get annoying at some point but he really _really_ doesn’t want to cross any boundaries or have Yunho be pressured into doing anything... He knows how much the pup is reliant on him when it comes to the more intimate sides of their relationship.

“I feel like I’m gonna explode.” Yunho mutters.

“That’s not an answer, puppy.” Seonghwa says gently, shifting closer to Yunho. “Do you want to save it for home? Or should we take care of it here...?” 

“Eomma might be home...” Yunho says slowly, shifting awkwardly from side to side in the booth. “Fuck... Hyung...” The pup suddenly whines, breathing heavily. “Please, just...” Okay... so they were really doing this now. Semi-public sex wasn’t an item on Seonghwa’s bucket list per say but it sure sounded appealing right now, with Yunho begging to him so sweetly and all.

“Cmon, Yunho.” Seonghwa says, taking his boyfriend by the hand and leading him to the single-stall bathroom down the hall, pausing to make sure no one was looking before slipping both him and Yunho inside smoothly without any prying eyes following them.

Once the door is shut, Seonghwa turns to Yunho and relishes in the way the pup blushes under his gaze, moving forwards until he’s flush up against the younger boy, cornered to the wall. “What are we going to do about this, hmmm...” He purrs, looking his boyfriend up and down.

Yunho swallows nervously, face a consistent shade of red and hands finally dropping the hoodie he’d been holding in front of his crotch. “Hyung... 

The cat hybrid reaches down, running his hands all along his boyfriends front until he finds the very obvious, very pronounced tent in his pants, grown so much bigger from when they were at the table. He begins palming Yunho through his pants and purring to himself. “Hard already... puppy, I barely touched your leg.” He coos at Yunho, who hides his face and whines. “So cute...” 

And so, Yunho ends up sitting back on the toilet seat with his pants pulled halfway down, Seonghwa crouched below him, admiring the face-to-cock view he had of the pup’s hard, throbbing shaft, long veins going up the sides, pretty pink flushed head beading small amounts of precum out of the slit at the tip... all topped off by Yunho’s blushy, embarrassed face. If Seonghwa could frame a picture of the image on his wall he would.

Seonghwa began by using only two fingers, not his whole hand, to run up the length and swipe at the head smoothly, relishing in the way Yunho whines, muttering something about wanting more just from a few little movements up and down his shaft... So the cat hybrid takes his hand and starts properly jerking the pup off, hand moving at a rapid, steady pace and looking up amusedly as Yunho begins to cover his face with his hands, whimpering. Yunho had become... so pliant and submissive when out of his ruts... and Seonghwa would be lying if he said he didn’t love it.

“Look at me, puppy.” He says, reaching his other hand up to pull at Yunho’s arms, retracting his shield and revealing a flustered, breathless pup in its place. “Look at me when I’m making you feel good, okay?” 

Yunho hesitates before nodding, catching his breath in the time that Seonghwa wasn’t actively touching him. But the older boy decides right then he wants to see Yunho squirm... he wants to see him whine and moan until the whole cafe could hear him from outside. And so, with as much grace as he could, Seonghwa retracts his hand, and leans down to lick a small stripe up the side of the pup’s cock, precum wet on his tongue and a mix of that substance as well as saliva running down the sides of his mouth. Yunho yelps out loud, eyes widening before no, gripping at his own shirt helplessly.

Seonghwa latched onto the head of Yunho’s cock since that was the most he could take down his throat and... he knew exactly what he must look like right now... face slightly flushed, suckling at the head of Yunho’s cock like it was a lollipop. He began using his hands rub the shaft up and down while continuing to suck incessantly, laving his tongue across the slit and gladly collecting the fluid that comes out in his mouth.

“Mmh... m’ gonna come, Hyung, please I’m gonna..” Yunho moans and that’s Seonghwa’s cue to stop, retracting his mouth from the pup’s cock and smiling up at him when he whines loudly. “Hyung... what are you-“

“I know this is kind of impromptu, puppy but...” Seonghwa purrs at him. “I kind of want to try something right now...”

Yunho’s eyes widened with embarrassment, to which the older boy just sighs, leading Yunho to his feet and guiding his hands to Seonghwa’s thighs himself. Yunho still looks unsure. “What is it...?”

“I want you to fuck me.” He says simply, rubbing Yunho’s back when the pup blushes harder, continuing. “Properly.” He finishes. The request is straightforward enough.

Yunho laughs. “Hyung, that’s embarrassing... why are you such a tease...” He holds Seonghwa close, dick still very much out and very much neglected... but not for long. “Are you sure you’re comfortable with this...?”

“Im sure, Yunho.” Seonghwa just giggles and rocks himself and Yunho back and forth, feeling himself twitch in his jeans... fuck, all he wanted right now was for his boyfriend to just pick him up and use him, take out all his urges and needs on him like he wanted to... and it was getting harder to keep his cool. So he nods. “You’ve got condoms?”

“One in my pocket... “ And that’s when Yunho lowers his hands and starts fumbling at the cat hybrid’s jeans, unbuttoning and starting to zip them down, clearly eager to get to the goods but what he wasn’t expecting... was Seonghwa’s surprise. The cat hybrid had slipped on this set earlier in the day because he had been feeling pretty confident at the time, and had just put them on to feel pretty in the moment but _now_... now he was eternally glad he’d decided to do that earlier. That and fingering himself in the shower....

“What’s... what’s this...?” Yunho mumbles, blushing profusely when he unzips even more to reveal a pair of pink lacy panties, tight and contrasting deliciously against Seonghwa’s tanned skin... the cat hybrid knows exactly how it looks, what kind of effect it has on people and he grins as Yunho’s entire face changes from serious to the most flustered he’s seen him today in a second.

“You’re so cute now, puppy... 

“Oh my fucking... fuck, Hyung...” Yunho seems to have been brought out of his aroused state and is now the clueless, embarrassed boy he normally was, looking up and down at Seonghwa then stopping to stare at the panties and then getting flustered all over again. He doesn’t know what to do with himself and Seonghwa is just standing there giggling, knowing full and well he looks like a sadist right now. 

“You like it?” The cat hybrid purred, making a little ‘aww’ sound when Yunho nods shyly, still covering half his face like a flustered school girl. Seonghwa pats him on the head a few times before pulling him close again. “Do you want to do something about it, puppy?” He asks cautiously... his primary goal here was to get Yunho to let loose and take out some stress.. maybe he could get the pup to release some of his instinctual side and let go that way?

“I...” The pup stalled. “Could I... maybe lift you up, Hyung?” Yunho muttered. Pick him up... holy shit. The mere thought of Yunho fucking him against the wall was enough to send Seonghwa’s thoughts into hyperdrive and begin to produce slick up his hole, dripping out already. “I mean... can you handle that?” Seonghwa questioned. He knows Yunho is taller than him and all but holding someone up for long amounts of time while simultaneously doing most of the thrusting work took some strength he wasn’t sure Yunho had. “I- I think I can...” Yunho says, not sounding that confident in his abilities. Regardless, Seonghwa moves Yunho’s hands to hold his hips.

“In that case... pick me up, please.” Seonghwa uses his needy voice, trying to get a reaction but Yunho still looks like he’s trying to figure out how he’ll do this... But maybe... if Yunho didn’t like it he’d stop immediately but, it was worth a shot. “Alpha... please pick me up, _please_.”

The younger boy goes stiff as a board, eyes widening and hands slowly gripping harder at Seonghwa’s hips, breath caught in his throat. Seonghwa had never tried using that term with Yunho before, never thought to, but maybe... maybe it would give him a sense of temporary relief or something... maybe it would allow him to let loose and take his needs out the way Seonghwa wanted him to. Looking down, the pup’s cock looks painfully red and stiffened out as tall as it could probably get from the way Seonghwa’s pleading....

“Are you okay with me calling you that, puppy?” Seonghwa purrs. “What does it make you want to do, hm? Does it feel good?” He teases, but still wanting to make sure Yunho was okay with this. Seonghwa rubs at the taller boy’s chest to try and snap him out of it and...

And suddenly, Yunho is growling... Yunho is _growling_. Only slightly, an instinctual, guttural sound that seems to echo in Seonghwa’s soul. The pup is looming over Seonghwa, body seeming to tense and shroud over him. Fuck, it was working.. Yunho wouldn’t be able to hold back if he continued like this, so Seonghwa gets even more bold with his words. “Aren’t you my alpha, right pup? Won’t you take care of your Hyung? Fuck me good and full like I deserve...” He presses on, smiling to himself when Yunho brings his arms underneath the older boy’s ass and hoists him easily up off the ground, 

The pup mumbles something inaudible, moving aside the panties just a bit, probably not wanting to remove them altogether. He exposes Seonghwa’s already soaked hole, soft and inviting and he seems to linger, trying to insert a finger while still holding him up but Seonghwa stops him. “I’m stretched enough already, puppy. No need.” He really just wanted to get to the part where they fuck against the wall and preferably skip the inevitable moment when one of the employees knocks on the door and tells them to beat it. 

Seonghwa feels himself light up with need when Yunho lines his cock up with the cat hybrid’s hole, panties still containing his own member all tucked away, still aching and hard, begging to be touched but with no real need. Right now he wanted Yunho inside him, filling up every inch of him, making him beg and moan and plead for it... 

Yunho seems to question himself right before plunging in deep and Seonghwa pets his ears comfortingly, a promise that he was safe, that he could let go and that Seonghwa was okay with it. “I’ll be okay, puppy... don’t worry.” He whispers. “Let go... take everything out.”

The pup whines needily right before complying and beginning to move, steadily and shallowly while still pressing Seonghwa against the wall, squelching wet noises echoing throughout the room. He can feel himself getting wetter and wetter as the pace increases, 

And fuck, _fuck_ , Seonghwa loves this... he loves this so much, the hot, borderline burning feeling of Yunho’s cock sliding in and out of him in rhythm with the pup’s soft moans muffled in the side of Seonghwa’s neck. The way he keeps grasping and squeezing at the cat hybrid’s thighs, chest heaving against Seonghwa’s, the cool wall against his back and it’s all going so so fast.

Seonghwa curls his tail around to flick lightly at Yunho’s side, run up the pup’s thigh ever so slightly, a subconscious action. It’s not like he’d be able to think about anything else right now other than Yunho inside him, fucking against his prostate, Yunho holding him up like this and taking out all his needs on the older boy like he’d been wanting... like he’d been longing for. 

Seonghwa can almost hear the younger boy moan out a muffled ‘omega’ but the pup must be stopping himself from dipping in completely somewhat. Maybe he could coax it out of him? And so Seonghwa takes it upon himself to start whining “ _alpha, alpha, please, alpha_ ” and so on as a means to encourage Yunho’s slip into pure instinctual territory. And it works, it works quite well in fact.

Yunho growls into Seonghwa’s ear and picks up his pace almost as if on command, movements getting faster, body heaving even more and Seonghwa was just left to bounce up and down to Yunho’s thrusts and hang on for dear life as the pup chased his release. The cat hybrid couldn’t help but notice even in his fucked out state that though Yunho was fucking up into him so rapidly, he never moved over into the rough side, never tried to clawing or going in too deep. It was as if it wasn’t even in his nature to hurt or take like that so much like other alphas.... Seonghwa’s energy was spiking and jumping up at the feeling of Yunho’s cock sliding and pressing up against his soft spot...

What’s more is Yunho kept on mumbling nonsense and sweet things the more the cat hybrid gave him a reaction. “Pretty omega..” The pup moaned. “So wet... so soft and wet... Wanna breed my omega, my sweet, wet omega...” And Seonghwa blushes at that. It was true, he always managed to produce an embarrassing amount of slick and precum when he was aroused... it was always disappointing when he get his lingerie to messy pretty quickly. Though in cases like this... he was highly appreciative of his high production rate since it allowed him to fuck without lube...

Seonghwa can feel himself leak even more when Yunho points it out, combined with the increasing up and down motion of his cock against the material of the panties... he moans loud and high-pitched, continuously as Yunho just keeps on moving.

But when Seonghwa begins to feel a resistance with Yunho’s cock gliding out of him, the beginnings of a knot forming there he taps Yunho’s shoulders, alerting the pup’s attention. 

“Puppy... puppy, you can’t do that, okay?” The cat hybrid moves Yunho’s face out of his neck and holds one of his cheeks in place, the pup ceasing his thrusts reluctantly. “No knotting, okay?” Seonghwa knows he wants Yunho to have control for at least a minute here but he can’t help but give out instructions for the dog hybrid even so, knowing that it must give a lot of comfort and safety to the younger boy. “You can’t knot me right now, Yunho...” 

Yunho nods frantically to him, reassuring the cat hybrid over and over he wouldn’t do that and Seonghwa coos at him for it. Seonghwa releases with a squeaky little moan into his panties, holding onto his boyfriend for dear life and tearing up from the intensity of it all. He doesn’t even realize he’d came untouched until he’s mid-orgasm, Yunho breathing out ‘omega’ into his ear like a mantra at this point.

It’s when Seonghwa begins hiccuping from overstimulation that Yunho begins to really chase his release and finally, _finally_ he reaches the edge with a shuddering moan and a shiver. Of course Seonghwa couldn’t feel the pup coming inside him this time and he did miss the feeling quite a bit, he was sure Yunho did too, but with the other option being potential pregnancy? He’d have to pass. 

Yunho is heaving now, setting Seonghwa down as lightly as he could on the seat. The pup is attentive as ever, checking Seonghwa’s every corner, every crevice fo see if he had injured his Hyung, gathering up a long roll of toilet paper to help tidy up everything... Seonghwa wasn’t looking foreword to walking home in his crusty, soaked undies but... they’d have to do... 

“Was that uncomfortable for you?” Seonghwa asks softly once they had cleaned up, bending down to look up at Yunho sitting on the toilet seat again, ears perked curiously. He wanted to make sure Yunho hadn’t dropped into that state of mind involuntarily, or worse that Seonghwa had forced him into it...

“It was... it was strange...” Yunho admits, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “I could remember things though...” He assures. 

“So it wasn’t forced?” Seonghwa wants to make sure. 

“No... no of course it wasn’t, Hyung!” Yunho blushes. “It... it was all me there.”

“So you liked it then?”

“I- uh...” The pup is glancing anywhere but Seonghwa. “I... how do I.. it was really good.”

Seonghwa laughed, hugging the pup close to him. “You don’t need to say anything else, puppy I know how embarrassed this stuff makes you.”

“No like, like it was really _really_ good... I didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much but it was... something.” He says the last word like he’d just witnessed paranormal activity or something and Seonghwa can’t help but give him a head pat.

“You’re adorable, puppy...” Seonghwa held the same hand that brandished the matching ribbon with pride, and even if he walked out of that bathroom looking warily around, hoping no one saw them, slinking out of the cafe unnoticed he still holds his boyfriend’s hand tightly in his unashamedly once they got out of the populated areas, not intending to let go, not intending to edit himself and his feelings for the love of his life just to please everyone else. 

They were a pair, an official one but even that didn’t matter as much to Seonghwa at this point. No matter what indication of their relationship... he loved this boy. He loved him so much, had for too long and no one could take that from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaah so close to the end... but yay spicy times to cushion the blow, right? there’s gonna be more of that don’t judge me... 
> 
> gear up for the final chapter has arrived... everyone gather your spare tissues (me, im talking about me) haha but seriously y’all don’t know how sad im gonna be to see this fic end... 
> 
> thank you so much for reading!! <3


	24. Sunrise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok everyone... the grand finale anime beach episode is finally here with some fanservice to go along with it...
> 
> i now throw this 17k monster of a chapter out to the wolves
> 
> seriously though had it been that long since i started writing this fic? three months right? and i never would have imagined this fic would get the support it did... actually i never would have imagined it’d be THIS long... but i feel satisfied with the length myself. it’s a good place to end off for our boys
> 
> i hope you all enjoy reading this final chapter!! thank you everyone for all the kudos and hits and comments this fic has gotten in the past three months!!!
> 
> pls enjoy <3

A week after the meetup and impromptu bathroom fucking combo had occurred, Yunho is digging through the mess of his dresser and throwing clothes out onto his bed, Seonghwa taking and trying to help the pup fold them neatly the ‘proper and most space-efficient way’ like one of those household hacks videos. 

They end up packing two large suitcases between the two of them as they’re planning in staying for about a week. Plenty of time to run out of outfits as Seonghwa says.

“What’s in the bags, Hyung?” Yunho blinks in curiosity at the sight of two fancy-looking shopping bags placed on the bed next to their luggage. But Seonghwa doesn’t respond, just shrugs and smiles knowingly, clearly hiding something from Yunho in those bags but the pup doesn’t try to push the conversation. He figures it’s just some new clothes Seonghwa got in the mail or something...

Yunho gives his eomma a kiss on the cheek before leaving her with Seonghwa’s eomma, who gives her son a tight hug out the door. She had come over that day to talk with Yunho’s eomma more, and have lunch together later. Yunho was just glad their families seemed to be getting along...

Yunho and Seonghwa take the bus and are the first people to arrive at the school dorms where both Yeosang and Jongho have the minivan parked outside the building, eating their breakfast on the roof together and waving the couple down when they come in view and passing Seonghwa and Yunho each a breakfast burrito. Seonghwa ends up giving his to Yunho who scarfs both down immediately.

Eventually Mingi and Wooyoung and then Hongjoong and San arrive at the canine dorms and the packing stage begins.

Even with a tight fit, Yeosang and Jongho somehow managed to stuff everyone plus their luggage into the minivan using a place and shove technique, Jongho at one point running at a duffel bag that was sticking out like a charging bull. Yunho reminds himself never to get on that kid’s bad side.

Seonghwa, Yunho and Wooyoung are in the far back of the mini van, with Mingi Jongho and San in the middle and Hongjoong as the elected driver, Yeosang seated smugly in the passenger seat because it’s his van after all. He hands Jongho the giant bag of snacks they packed, basically subjecting the poor boy to constant hands coming and going.

“Okay so San, how big is this place like, on exact terms.” Wooyoung asks when they’re a few minutes into the drive. “Is it like... moderate or crazy rich or...” 

“It’s comfortable.” San says simply, smiling and laughing when Wooyoung raised an eyebrow. 

“That’s exactly what you would say if it was really fucking nutsy rich people shit, right?” Wooyoung says flatly. “We’re gonna driven up to like, Cinderella’s castle.”

San shrugs playfully. “I’m not saying..” 

“Nice to know you’ve met someone as infuriating as you, Woo.” Yeosang says from the front. 

Wooyoung just sticks his tongue out playfully and San giggles, clearly amused by the exchange. Yunho holds Seonghwa close and let’s the older boy rest his head on his shoulder most of the ride, dipping down to nose at his hair when no one else is looking so no one could yell ‘pda!’ and get everyone to start gagging.

They start discussing where everyone would sleep partway through the ride, Hongjoong making a pit stop to grab some snacks. 

“I brought my console so...” Mingi reminds everyone. “If you hear a big ruckus in the middle of the night, it’s me and Yunho practicing...” He looks at everyone then. “Okay also if I hear any creaky bed frames in the middle of the night I’m literally gonna sleep on the porch so if you don’t see me in my bed, you’ll know.” The wolf hybrid gives Yeosang a look and the fox hybrid just shrugs. Jongho however lets out a loud, resounding cough into his arm, recovering soon after with an uncomfortable smile. 

San laughs at the exchange, saying something about how “you guys are brutal”. 

“Speak for yourself, I’m more worried about Yunho and Seonghwa Hyung over here...” Wooyoung comments, making the two of them separate from each other.

Seonghwa looks at the pup, offended. “What makes me and Yunho more likely to be loud than those two?”

“Pure intuition and background knowledge, that’s why.” The pup responds, crossing his arms and smiling smugly. Seonghwa just rolls his eyes and leans back in his seat, slightly leaning on Yunho’s shoulder.

“They’re bullying us, Yunho...” He whines.

“To be fair, Hyung, Wooyoung isn’t completely wrong.” The pup starts giggling lightly. Yunho I did remember to pack some condoms for the trip, just in case. But maybe they should ensure beforehand that their room was sound-proofed...

Seonghwa gives Yunho a little shove, laughing. “I hate both of you...”

“Wait you guys are a couple!?” San asks, jumping in his seat and looking back at them like a wide-eyed child.

Seonghwa confidently gives Yunho a peck on the cheek in response, looking back at San proudly while Yunho was still recovering from being kissed like that so off-guard. He can practically _feel_ Wooyoung’s excitement next to him. “We made it official at prom...” The cat hybrid purrs.

“That’s so _cool_.” He awed at them in amazement, probably not having met a couple like them his whole life, much like the general public. Either way, Yunho found it adorable how innocently fascinated the feline was.

Hongjoong returns with several family-size assorted bags of chips and some yogurt drinks for everyone to sip on for the remainder of the ride. He tosses back a few packaged cookies as well, Wooyoung and Yunho splitting one happily. 

“Hey no eating in the backseat.” Yeosang says back at the snack exchange.

“There are _literally_ five muffin wrappers under this seat, Yeosang.” Wooyoung points out, brandishing his half of the cookie in his hand.

Seonghwa just snatches the cookie from the pup and takes a big bite out of it, returning the cookie, much to Wooyoung’s disgust. “I think he meant you, not everyone else by the way.” He says jokingly. 

Yeosang falls asleep a few minutes later, head lolling back in the passengers seat up front and Yunho can practically feel the phone cameras revving up in people’s pockets at the sight. 

Hongjoong turned on his weird 80s music partway through the ride and when everyone started complaining he just gave the backseat crew the middle finger and turned the volume up higher, Yeosang still sleeping soundly next to him so they couldn’t try and get him to change the stereo.

“Seonghwa, permission to use your boyfriends shoulder?” Wooyoung asks an hour later. 

“Uh, don’t you want to get permission from me?!” The pup asks.

“You’re Seonghwa’s now, I’m just taking precautionary measures, okay? Who knows these days, one moment you’re catching up with an old friend, then their partner is trying to claw your face off.” Yunho blushes to himself in embarrassment, remembering that one time he growled in front of Hongjoong just because the smaller boy was touching Seonghwa’s shoulder...

“Hold up, were you ever jealous?” Wooyoung questions Yunho like he’s in a true crime series and Yunho is the one under the spotlight. At least that’s what he feels like.

“ _Okay_ , why don’t you go to sleep, you little... bundle of joy.” Seonghwa saves Yunho from having to tell that story and guides Wooyoung’s head onto the taller pup’s shoulder, patting it there and effectively getting him to forget the subject.

The way leading up to the house, which sits right on the beach, involves San having to scan this shiny gold card at a private gate, nodding his head at a terrifying lion hybrid guy who lets them through a _second_ gate and then finally driving up to their destination.

The house is smaller than San’s mansion back home, but then again that’s not really that good of a comparison to make considering any house would look small in that instance. It’s a two-story beach house, with tall pillars in the front matching with San’s mansion and a small fountain in the driveway, lush gardens surrounding the place. Yunho knew they’d be staying in luxury considering his overall experience knowing Choi San. 

They unload and walk up to the front door, San fumbling with the keys before finally bursting open the doors of the beach house with a strong push and making way for everyone to file in.

The place is massive, that’s a word for it. And Yunho’s a pretty big guy too, range of sight better than anyone else in the group and he would never fail to be amazed by the sheer amount of Choi San’s wealth and how it reflected in his belongings. There’s a large staircase right in the middle of the entry area, looking like it’d be used for a beauty pageant, with a white and gold color scheme all around. But the scale of how tall the ceiling is, how spacious the rooms are...

“His briefcase alone is bigger than my kitchen.” Yeosang jokes as they set their stuff down.

“We don’t have a kitchen.” Mingi points out, to which the fox hybrid just shushes him and continues awing at the house all around them. Yunho himself can’t seem to take his eyes off of every new detail he spots in the long tapestries hanging from the walls or the intricate carvings done in the walls.

“Like the scenery?” The tabby boys grinned as everyone’s jaws dropped in tandem at the sight of the place they’d be staying.

“Thoroughly. You really know how to pick em, Hongjoong.” Yeosang says flatly. 

“Okay so are we taking top floor or...” Mingi looks to San for answers.

“Literally I don’t care. Just find a room and set camp.” San says, effectively releasing chaos onto the house as Yunho as well as the other four pups all run off through the halls of the house to find the best room. The pup can hear Seonghwa laughing behind him as he and Mingi race up the staircase to the top floor.

When they get to the top, the hall divides into two branches, the two canines turning down the left hallway. They walk past family pictures of San in tiny suits, hair gelled back and magazine cover-reach smile plastered across his face, ear tufts probably gelled up as well. His parents look like they’ve been through hell and back with their blunt ‘yes, we’re wealthier than you’ expressions and tasteful frown wrinkles...

“This family looks straight out of a drama.” Mingi comments, looking at a particularly comical photo of San looking out across the balcony of their mansion back in their hometown. Indeed, he looks just like a rich heir or angsty uptight businessman from one of those cheesy shows or movies... 

Yunho felt weird though, watching romance movies and seeing couples in magazines recently. Ever since him and Seonghwa had confessed, it’d been like waking up in a new world where everyone hates you even more than they already did and the standards for the perfect couple are constantly shoved in your face, sirens blaring all around you telling you you’re _wrong_ when in reality nothing could be more right.

“Are you stopping here?” Mingi suddenly asks, halting Yunho’s thoughts. The pup realized he had stopped waking with his friend down the hall, standing in front of one of the rooms mindlessly.

Yunho shrugs. “I guess I am... you taking the far room then?” 

“If that’s okay... like I said about the bed frame thing...” Mingi laughs when Yunho goes red, continuing down the hall, leaving Yunho to the room.

It’s a bedroom coincidentally, a vast one, with a king-size bed, large ornate cabinet in the corner, a separate bathroom and a large balcony to top it all off, overlooking the sunny expanse of the sky and ocean outside. 

Yunho opens the doors to the view, letting the sea air breeze through the bedroom and wave the long white curtains back. Good choice, the dog hybrid patted himself on the back. Seonghwa was definitely going to love it in here.

As if on cue, Seonghwa’s voice is heard at the door, knocking on it even if it’s already open. “Is this our room?” He walks up to Yunho with their bags, setting them by the bed and walking onto the balcony. 

“It is now.” Yunho watched his boyfriend’s figure leaning over the balcony’s edge, hair and shirt blowing back slightly in the breeze. He joins the cat hybrid, looking out over the view of the sea, ships in the distance, private beach spanning out all to themselves... and Seonghwa looked so beautiful against the backdrop of the ocean, eyes shutting and soft purr rumbling in his chest...

“You’re gorgeous...” Yunho says to him, looking on with affection. Seonghwa smiles back at him, ruffling up the pup’s hair and making a kissy face at him.

“You’re beautiful.” He returns before skipping back into their room. “Have you been to the beach recently?”

“Not since I was like, twelve or something...” He had been grumpy on that trip since it prevented him from spending more of his summer with Seonghwa at the time... such a coincidence he was back in the same area now with the person he had been missing back then. “I moped the whole time though...”

“Aw... why?”

“I missed you at the time...” He admits, walking back past the curtains and lying down on his stomach across the bed. “We hadn’t seen each other that much that summer...”

“That’s... absolutely precious, puppy...” Seonghwa began unpacking some of his things, setting out clothes for later on the dresser and moving the toiletries into the bathroom. The final touch was when he placed his little polar bear plushie with the rose pendant still clipped into the ear onto the bed. Yunho cuddled with it next to his cheek.

Everyone settles into their rooms spread throughout the house, Mingi Yeosang and Jongho choosing to sleep on the upper floor with Yunho and Seonghwa, in rooms far spread out of course, and the remainder of the boys taking the downstairs. Yunho is quite sure he heard San and hongjoong having a make out session in the pantry at one point during their rest time because of the loud purring and sound of things being knocked over coming from that side of the kitchen. He didn’t ask, nor try to pry. Him and Seonghwa had sex in a public bathroom once so he really couldn’t judge.

At night though, is when Hongjoong proposes everyone pile back into the van and drive a few minutes to the amusement park down at the beach town to let loose, initiate themselves into the trip. Yunho is excited to say the least, both to spend some quality time with his boyfriend and the rest of his friends of course...

Wooyoung and San both start jumping in their seats like little kids when they start to see the illuminated colored lights of the Ferris wheel up ahead.

The first thing anyone sees when they exit the van and buy a load of tickets is the monstrous, looming rollercoaster that spirals up into the air before down at an inward, not even a normal drop but an _incline_ , and the screams from the poor passengers echoing throughout the park is enough the indicate. Needless to say, more than half of the group start chattering about wanting to get on immediately.

“Yunho, I don’t give a fuck if you don’t want to but we are going on that thing if it’s the last thing I do tonight.” Mingi points up to the ride in question, where they can clearly see the people currently going down the looping drop and screaming their lungs out. Seonghwa visibly shivers and Yunho feels bad suddenly.

Hongjoong must have picked up on it as well. “It’s okay, Hwa. You and me can go find the food trucks if you want.” The tabby boy puts a hand on the other feline’s shoulder and now Yunho definitely feels bad... 

Yunho approaches Seonghwa and reaches out to hold his hand. “Hyung... if you want me to stay with you then I don’t need to-“

The older boy cuts him off. “Yunho _no_. Don’t let me stop you from having fun, okay? I’ll be fine on the merry go round, okay.” Seonghwa reassures him, smiling.

“But it’s not that big of a deal...” Yunho reminds him.

“And it’s not that big of a deal if you go off and have fun with your friends, puppy... Me and Joong can find us a place to eat, okay?” The older boy gives him a look after that, a sweet but suspicious one that’s very clearly questioning if this was Yunho’s infamous jealousy acting up. Yunho wouldn’t lie and say that wasn’t part of his motives... but he really hadn’t taken into account that him and Seonghwa were at vastly different sides of the amusement park spectrum, and he had been wanting to spend as much time as possible with the older boy. At the end of it all, he of course takes his boyfriends word for it.

“Okay, Hyung... I want to win you something later though, okay?”

“I’ll look foreword to it, pup.” The older boy smiles and waves along with Hongjoong as Wooyoung grabs a hold of Yunho’s hand and yanks him into the long line for the ride, the curly tailed pup teasing Yunho for the sappy exchange he’d just had with Seonghwa.

Mingi and Yeosang look like they might jump out of their skin with how excited the two were all while Jongho kicked at the pavement, seeming very out of place and nervous about the whole thing. Yunho gave the other alpha a pat on the back and a comforting smile, seeming to cheer the younger boy up a bit. The taller felt a bit guilty though, considering Jongho would probably be hurling into one of the trash bins after all this was over considering his expressions.

There’s a small display board near the front of the line showcasing the pictures from the last ride, a bunch of people screaming their faces off and making embarrassing faces, the usual amusement park stuff.

“Don’t you want Seonghwa to be there for the pictures?” San asks innocently from in front of him, looking up at Yunho.

Again, the pup does feel bad about going on all the rides and having fun without his boyfriend there... but he knows Seonghwa wouldn’t be caught dead on a roller coaster any day. Yunho is sure the older boy would pass out the moment they started going up the ramp and got more than ten feet off the ground. He’s been with Seonghwa on _bridges_ when they were younger and the cat hybrid’s tail had puffed all the way up, body tensed in fear. Yunho would have to hold his hand the whole way over or in extreme cases, carry him the rest of the way across. 

“I think Hyung is better off on the ground...” He answers, earning a little pout from San.

Yunho and Wooyoung have always been rollercoaster junkies at heart since they became friends, jumping at the chance every time they’d go to theme parks as kids. Seonghwa would buy drinks and give them both scared hugs when they got off the rides, as if there’d be a malfunction or something the older boy would actually have to be afraid of.

Now, Yunho shuffles into the seat right between Mingi and Wooyoung near the back of the ride, with San next to Wooyoung having a mild excitement overdose from the looks of it, and Yeosang comforting a fearful Jongho seated in front of the bunch. 

As the car starts to move along the track, slowly at first, Yunho can hear Jongho begin to protest and try to call at the guy controlling the coaster to let him off but to no avail. Yunho looks over at Mingi who lets out a small squeal, grabbing hold of Yunho’s hand and beaming up at the gradually rising track ahead of them. 

It’s when they’re at the top of the track, peeking out just over the edge that Yunho witnesses Jongho just.... passing out in front of him, Yeosang desperately trying to shake him and wake the boy back up before the track just dips and they’re spiraling down. The last thing he sees is Jongho’s hands being flung unconsciously about in the air in front of him as the ride twisted and turned.

By the time Yunho was off he could feel his adrenaline all the way up to a hundred and his heart going a mile a minute, feeling like he might be able to run a marathon. “That was fucking nuts!” San exclaims once they’re off, jumping up and down with Wooyoung, who’s curly tail is wagging happily. “We’ve _gotta_ go again, this time let’s get in the front so we can get good pictures!”

But looking next to them, Yeosang has a vastly different expression on his face, holding a completely and utterly frozen Jongho up on against his shoulder, staggering off the platform leading to the ride and patting his boyfriend on the back to try and snap him out of it. Yunho rushed up to help lift the poor boy, slinging Jongho’s arm over his shoulder to relieve Yeosang a bit. Shit.... Yunho figured it was best to find the two oldest so they could regroup.

“I think... I think I’m gonna go and find Hyung... we need to find Jongho somewhere to sit down.” Yunho says even when Wooyoung pouts back at him.

“Oh yeah... fuck, that doesn’t look good does it?” Mingi peers down at Jongho in a concerned grimace. “I’ve got some aspirin in my pocket if that would help.” 

“Mingi, once again you are a lifesaver.” Yeosang says like he’s been holding his breath. He took took the small bottle of pills from the wolf hybrid and started ushering Jongho through the crowd before looking back expectantly at Yunho.

Mingi continues, smiling to Yunho. “You know... I was gonna stage a whole photo shoot thing for us to do...”

“We can do it later... maybe on that one?” He points up at another large rollercoaster, this time with more loops than spirals and Mingi grins at the sight of the people screaming down it.

“Deal then. I’d better see some cotton candy when I find you again, okay?”

“Sure. And... _please_ keep those two out of trouble... for Seonghwa Hyung’s sake...” Yunho glances behind Mingi at Wooyoung and San. Mingi nodded, face serious before giving Yunho a friendly pat on the back and joining the chaos duo again.

They manage to escort Jongho over to a picnic table and splash a cup of water in his face, waking the boy up out of his haze. Yunho ordered also offered him some lemonade. Seonghwa and Hongjoong join them few minutes later, stocked up with several paper bags full of different kinds of food, spreading it all out on the table to pick and choose their meals. Yunho also got a large puff of cotton candy for Mingi, as well as a half-pink half-blue puff for him and Seonghwa to share. He takes a few pictures of Seonghwa with that giant puff of cotton candy covering the bottom half of his face, smiling at the older boy’s adorable expressions. It was a relatively peaceful moment until, of course, the inevitable happened: the Wooyoung and San crash and burn.

Once the three remaining pups return from the big rollercoaster ride, Mingi grabs his cotton candy with a small thanks and immediately hurries to where Yeosang and Jongho are taking on a more tame attraction, that being throwing darts. The wolf hybrid just gives Yunho a look that says “good luck, buddy” and focuses away from whatever conflict was about to arise, leaving Yunho confused. That is, until two seconds later.

Wooyoung comes sauntering over to the rest of the group, San slung over his shoulder like a rag doll, the two of them appearing slightly damp. The curly-tailed pup looks like his heart is going a mile a minute, amazed smile spread across his face. “This guy?” He points at San. “Fucking lunatic. I love you, by the way.”

“Thanks..” San slurs his voice and giggles into the pup’s shoulder 

“I’m confused...” Seonghwa’s attention has officially been caught as he looks between them both.

“We rode the giant ass roller coaster again.” Wooyoung explains.

“But this time with drinks and shit... here, look at the pictures!” San completes Wooyoung sentence like they’ve discovered telepathy. The lynx hybrid holds a little amusement park photo reel up in front of everyone and sure enough, there’s Wooyoung and San in the front seats of the car, obviously attempting to link arms and take a shot of their drinks but most definitely failing, as the next picture shows the cups flying back and emptying onto both themselves and the poor people behind them, barreling down the biggest drop on the ride. Both pictures were blurred as if it was a crime scene.

Yunho can’t help but giggle at the last photo in particular... until Seonghwa speaks up.

“What the _fuck_. How did you sneak drinks onto the ride?!” The older boy exclaims. Yunho notices his tail is slightly spiked.

“It was easy! San’s some kind of-“ Wooyoung was probably going to say something along the lines of ‘mastermind’ but Seonghwa’s expression stops him.

“Some kind of _sneaky brat_! You guys could have got kicked out of the park!” Seonghwa scolds like an upset parent, tail still noticeably spiked. Yunho put a hand on his back to calm him down but really... it was kind of sweet how much the older boy really looked out for everyone this way.

Yunho also notices that Hongjoong is now observing the photos and smiling, trying to hold in a laugh. “I don’t know if I should be proud, or disappointed you didn’t pull it off...” He mutters, much more calmly than Seonghwa had.

“What?!” The other feline turns on Hongjoong, who backs up with his hands defensively in the air.

“See, Hongjoong gets it...”

“That’s Hongjoong _Hyung_ to you.” The tabby boy laughs and gives Wooyoung a small pat on the head, walking off to join Yeosang, Mingi and Jongho who are still preoccupied at the dart throwing stall.

The curly-tailed pup’s expression gradually turns to one of sheer excitement. “Did... did Hongjoong- I mean _Hyung_ , just... accept me into his cool kid friend circle or something? That was an initiation, right?” He points his thumb back at the cat hybrid. 

San just giggles and shrugs. “When I first met Hyung, I just insulted his hair and he called me an edgy bitch. We bonded over shared hatred of our chem teacher.” That was... a confusing sentence. Then again, pretty accurate considering the two feline’s dynamic now. Seonghwa put his head in his hand and sighed in exasperation. It wasn’t even a response to Wooyoung’s question, but the pup just claps his hands and pumps his fist in accomplishment.

“I’m taking that as a win!” He exclaims, holding San’s hand in his. “Now on to more important matters, we have some business to attend to if you don’t mind.” Him and the lynx hybrid proceed to march over to a stall with a particularly questionable looking advertisement for ‘jello funnel cake’. 

Yunho just laughs to himself while Seonghwa gags exaggeratedly. The pup sits down next to his boyfriend and holds his hand firmly, running his thumb against the back against his skin. “You’re not too stressed, right? You know... it’s not mandatory for you to take on the burden of being our babysitter, Hyung...” He smiles.

“I know...” Seonghwa’s tail has un-spiked now but it’s still flicking back and forth in anxiousness. “I can’t help it... it’s like a reflex at this point, I like taking care of everyone! But now that there’s so many people to look after...” He smiles in exhaustion. “It’s a little nerve-wracking... but I’ll get over it. I just want everyone safe, that’s all. It’s scary out there.”

Yunho figures part of that fear must come from Seonghwa’s own experience with public harassment, but he doesn’t try to bring up that trauma again. “That’s completely understandable, Hyung... don’t worry, I’m sure Hongjoong has enough authority to help reign them in.” The tabby boy is currently cheering on Mingi as the wolf hybrid manages to win a giant hello kitty plushie. “And I’m here to help too, if you ever need me.”

“It’s not just them, puppy. I worry about you too, you know...” Seonghwa purrs.

“Everyone’s gonna get back to the house in one piece, Hyung.” Yunho reassures once more. His boyfriend has always been the pup-sitter of the group since the addition of Wooyoung, actually probably since he’d met Yunho now that he thought of it. Of course it was in Seonghwa’s nature to look out for everyone... “I said something earlier about winning you a prize?”

Once they find finally find a stall with some prizes they’d want, the guy behind the booth looks over them skeptically, probably questioning their hybrid types, but he stays respectful regardless. He keeps averting his gaze once or twice, probably to make it seem like he’s uninterested but Yunho doesn’t overlook the way his pointy dog ears swivel in their direction even if he wasn’t making eye contact. Yunho hands over a few tickets and loads up the bright green plastic swivel gun, looking ahead at the large screen display with all the pixel aliens flitting to and fro and clicking the start button. 

After his first try, the dog hybrid manages to get probably enough points for a keychain, but not quite enough for the giant pink bunny Seonghwa’s been eyeing up this entire time. And so, Yunho hands the guy even more tickets, round after round and he still didn’t have enough points.

“Okay, so this is definitely rigged...” He whispers to Seonghwa, earning a not-so-friendly sneer from the stall guy. He ignores it. 

“It’s a theme park, pup. Hongjoong was raging at a claw machine earlier, it was honestly hilarious.” He smiles and purrs up at Yunho to reassure him. “I don’t need a prize, Yunho, okay? We can go and buy something when he visit the beach town this week.” He insists..

“But I wanted to win you something...” Yunho looks disappointedly back at the display, at the numerous pastel plushies there, and shook his head stubbornly. “I’m gonna win something, Hyung. I promised.” 

Seonghwa just looks at him uncertainly. “Okay, puppy.”

The entire time Yunho was racking up points, he couldn’t help but notice the guy at the stall giving him and Seonghwa more and more odder looks, seemingly examining them for something, like they were stealing from or hijacking the booth. He probably thought they were playing some kind of joke on him, like pretending to be a couple or something along those lines.

Seonghwa takes on the second swivel gun halfway through Yunho’s vain efforts and successfully manages to max out their score. Much like his video game-playing skills, Yunho can’t help but notice all Seonghwa was doing was spamming the trigger... and it was working. Quite well actually. Much more than Yunho’s attempts at strategy. Together, the two end up winning a prize of their choice. Yunho insists that Seonghwa pick it out since the dog hybrid was supposed to be the one to win him something in the first place.

And so they walk away from the stall with Seonghwa lugging around the big pastel pink bunny plushie with big black button eyes, one floppy ear and a giant bow tied around its neck. The cat hybrid tells everyone it was Yunho who won it for him and now Wooyoung and Mingi were both trying to get the taller pup to play stall games for them and win various prizes. 

It’s a fun night, the group meshing together just as Yunho had predicted. Seonghwa had sworn some kind of conflict would have to arise among the different personalities, all having to be around each other but it seemed most things were going smoothly. Well, smoothly as it can go with a bunch of hyperactive late teens being let loose in a theme park. Even Jongho, who had been so reserved and really only conversed with Yeosang, opened up to the others after recovering from his rollercoaster trauma. He even got to win Yeosang a few prizes from a game that involved smashing things. Turns out, the boy had quite the strong fist.

And that night, when they get back to the house and settle into their respective rooms, the giant pink bunny is placed sandwiched into the armchair, with Seonghwa’s little polar bear plush resting in it’s lap. 

Him and Seonghwa curl up in bed after a long day of travel and fun, pulling out Seonghwa’s laptop and choosing to watch a randomly selected cheesy drama. Seonghwa mutters with his head against Yunho’s chest at one point during the movie, where the two main cat hybrid leads have finally confessed to each other and share a very drawn out, slow motion kiss. “You ever wonder what it’s like being like everyone else?”

Yunho looks down at him, eyes soft. “What do you mean... like, having the same hybrid types?”

“Yeah...” Seonghwa turns his head to look at his boyfriend, drama half forgotten at this point. “Like, if we could kiss in public like everyone else we know... or get married and have kids like people are expected to.” Yunho can hear the emotion laced in the cat hybrid’s voice near the end of his sentence.

Yunho thinks about it for a second. Really, honestly speaking, he can’t imagine loving Seonghwa if he were a dog hybrid like him, if he were another canine. Because... when he thought about it, if the older boy was anything other than what he was... that would just make him a different person. A completely different person with a different perspective on life. Seonghwa is a cat hybrid, that shaped a significant part of who he was growing up, both good and bad. He knew that, since not only had Seonghwa talked to him about it, but Yunho had witnessed it as they grew up together. And Yunho didn’t think he’d want their relationship to be any different than the way it was, the way it would evolve from here. “We’d be different people then... I can’t imagine what it’d be like to be a cat like you.”

Seonghwa smiles up at him. “Likewise...” He purrs as Yunho reaches his arm up to pet the cat hybrid’s ears, feeling the soft dark fur there. “That’s... probably one of the reasons this works so well right?” He mutters. “Because we’re different. We learn from each other, all the time.”

Yunho smiles to himself. “It wouldn’t be the same any other way....”

He flips the laptop closed, placing it on the nightstand and shifting over to his side so that Seonghwa can wrap his arms around him, drawing the covers back over both their forms and settling into that position.

Seonghwa says right in Yunho’s ear. “I feel like it’s kind of sexy... the idea of being outrageous.”

Yunho breaks out into laughter, blushing. “Hyung...”

“I know... you’re tired and embarrassed and we should sleep because we have a big day tomorrow. I know...” Seonghwa purrs lightly.

“Not what I was meaning, but yes... let’s sleep.”

“Goodnight, Yunho.”

“Goodnight, Star...”

_______

Yunho, having slept in, was dragged half-awake in the middle of the day by Seonghwa, who rallied everyone in the hall to get up off their asses, using Yunho as his personal megaphone. It was funny though, getting to storm into everyone’s rooms and witness their comically pissed off faces as they groaned to wake up. Seonghwa had made sandwiches for everyone a few hours earlier, unsurprisingly, as the cat hybrid had been the first person up. Yunho figures the older boy must be one of those people with an internal alarm clock, something clearly no one else in their group had.

Wooyoung tries throwing a few weak punches at Seonghwa when he strips away his blanket. “I am quite _literally_ sleeping, Hyung.”

“And I _literally_ made lunch. Get up you brat, no excuses.” Wooyoung just rolled over stubbornly and Yunho had to give the the other canine a piggyback ride to the dining room, laughing to himself when the pup grumbles and drools onto his shoulder.

“Since when are you Hyung’s henchman? Can we not have independence from the feline influence around here?” Wooyoung mutters. 

Soon after, the rest of the group is out of their beds and gathered around the table to eat what Seonghwa had prepared, earning an appropriate amount of contented silence as they scarfed down the selection of various sandwiches, Seonghwa beaming proudly as they did. Yunho wished he had been up earlier to help his boyfriend, thinking of how hard he must have worked, but.. he also knew how much pride Seonghwa took in cooking and giving to others. He enjoyed it, being his love language of sorts.

“This shit’s delicious!” San mumbles through bites, taking Hongjoong’s last rye and salami right off his plate, the smaller feline too tired to notice. “Hyung does get a lot of practice... I’m pretty useless in a kitchen so he makes us breakfast at my house most days.” Yunho says proudly. Wooyoung, now less disoriented, speaks up. “For real, it’s his calling in life. Like, he made this mac and cheese once and it legitimately changed my life. Seriously, I’ve been trying to recreate it for months now!” Seonghwa just shrugs. “It’s my therapy, I guess...” San laughs, dimples showing. “Okay but, you guys aren’t into polyamory, right...?” He obviously jokes earning a hard laugh from both Yunho and Seonghwa and an open shrug from Hongjoong. 

Wooyoung exclaims. “Don’t you think I would’ve already been a part of their love conglomeration?” 

“Seonghwa would strangle you on the second date night.” Yeosang smiles devilishly from across the table, earning some mocking laughter from the curly-tailed pup.

It was meant to be a fun little joke, but... sometimes Yunho did wonder if this whole mating thing was holding Seonghwa down, if he hadn’t had enough time to stretch his wings and experiment with different people before the mating had tied him to the post that was Yunho and his life. Yunho knew he could never love anyone else in the world, at least never nearly as strong as how much he loved Seonghwa, and he couldn’t for the life of him imagine sharing the older boy, even if it was just for a threesome or something. It would hurt him, and there was really nothing he could do about that fact. No disrespect to San and Hongjoong’s way of doing things though. 

He did sometimes wonder though, if the canine customs and attachments were tying Seonghwa down too much... Then again, Yunho also tried not to let himself overthink it often as he could. He could spend all day pondering the logistics of him and Seonghwa’s relationship if he let himself. It was so much easier to just relax and trust the older boy to communicate.

Yunho’s pulling on his blue palm tree-pattern swimming trunks and gathering up a giant beach umbrella before he knew it and they were all out on the beach in a matter of minutes, everyone piling up their towels and boards and scampering out to the ocean like a flock of sandpipers. Mingi throws his shirt to the mercy of the wind the first chance he gets, showing off his positively _sparkling_ newly-developed six-pack he’d been working on over the summer in the process. Yunho reflected on how Mingi had gone from being so shy and timid when he had first met the tall boy to gaining this newfound feeling of confidence in himself.

San winks at Yunho slyly as he struts down the beach, chatting idly to his small boyfriend as he did, the two giggling amongst each other. The dog hybrid chuckled and wondered how long it’d be before the couple managed to jump him and Seonghwa finally.

He helps Seonghwa, Yeosang and Jongho lay out bright, neon-colored beach towels and straw mats across the sand with the perfect front view of the sea, waves higher than usual that day. Yunho can see several small ships in the distance, the bustle of the beach town down the coast and a some kids playing and surfing a few shores down. They’ve got a whole stretch of beach all to themselves, all thanks to San’s family wealth.

“What are you guys still doing on dry land?! Get in the ocean, cowards!” Wooyoung’s high-pitched voice is suddenly heard from the edge of the water.

Yunho yells a quick “maybe later!” while Yeosang just squints and grits his teeth. “Yeah, no thanks. Have fun getting your ass served up to all the sharks though!” He says sarcastically.

Wooyoung doesn’t respond with the same sarcastic quips this time though, just charges full-speed towards the peaceful beach towel-oasis and grabs ahold of a confused Yeosang’s hand. There’s not much the fox hybrid can do but protest and hastily try to secure his black jean shorts as they careen headfirst into a particularly heightened wave. Yunho and Seonghwa find themselves cracking up back on the shore as the two canines get swept under for a few seconds, Yeosang’s mortified face disappearing under the crystal-clear, foamy waters.

“Have fun playing with the sharks, Yeo!” Seonghwa calls out once they resurface.

Yunho watches then as Yeosang takes advantage of the now-distracted, manically laughing Wooyoung by pouncing on the curly-tailed boy and forcing them both back under. A few seconds later and it’s just turned into a full-on splashing fight, Jongho hurriedly discarding his shirt and entering the ocean himself to try and break things up. Naturally, the dog hybrid just gets swept up in the ruckus, Yeosang using him as a human shield at one point.

Yunho notices then that him and Yeosang had been the only ones who chose kept their shirts on, though Mingi had encouraged the taller pup to let his garments be sacrificed to the windy beach gods, much like him and now San had. It felt silly, but Yunho had never really felt the need to show off his body or put it out there for the world to see... Not just that, but he _had_ been slacking off on exercise that summer since he’d wanted to spend as much time as possible with Seonghwa. 

Not that he thought he shouldn’t take his shirt off if he didn’t have a rippling eight pack but... somehow he thought people, even his friends, had an inwards assumption of what he should look like, what an alpha should look like and it was just uncomfortable for him as of now. He loved showing himself to Seonghwa, behind closed doors for just them two to see. Maybe he should start working out with Mingi sometime over the rest of the summer...

Speaking of Seonghwa though, Yunho returns his focus back to his boyfriend, seeing the older boy has stripped his shirt off, only wearing his stripy swimming trunks, stretching across the reclined sunchair under the beaming warmth quite marvelously, in Yunho’s opinion. Yunho runs his eyes over Seonghwa’s long, tanned body in the process, toned broad shoulders and smooth legs, fluffy tail curling behind him and the pup just thinks over and over to himself how lucky he was to end up with someone this gorgeous, both inside and out. 

Seonghwa of course catches on, raising an eyebrow at his gawking boyfriend and grinning as he arched against the chair elegantly. Yunho immediately goes red and pulls his gaze away. He shouldn’t be getting ideas like that this early into their day.

While Yeosang and Wooyoung have now taken to playing chicken fight with Jongho and Mingi as their steeds, the three felines of the group have all gathered near the towels. Hongjoong and San are taking turns sensually rubbing sunscreen on each other while Seonghwa slips on a pair of shiny red and rose-gold sunglasses and a big floppy hat, and with his water bottle in reach it seems the cat hybrid is done setting up his sunbathing station. 

Yunho tries making a sandcastle at the foot of the beach towels but not a second later, a lotioned up San is grabbing his bucket and using it to precariously balance the bucket now full of seawater on his head. He tilts back and forth nearby Seonghwa’s sunbathing setup and from the looks of it, gives the older boy a heart attack in the process. Hongjoong just sets himself up with his phone in the shade of an umbrella, chatting back and forth with Seonghwa. The two felines look like a middle-aged couple overlooking a bunch of screaming toddlers at the moment. 

And naturally, once that thought enters his head, Yunho finds himself situated right in between the two on the big straw mat.

“Is it true cats don’t like getting wet?” He asked, looking between Seonghwa and Hongjoong, who’s attentions are now brought away from their leisure, and San, who is now ceasing his balancing act. 

San takes up the bucket of seawater and dunks it over his head as an answer, running off to refill and chase Wooyoung while Hongjoong simply shrugs. “Never been that much of a water person myself.”

Seonghwa raises his eyebrow at that, giving Yunho the look and _oh_ wait they’re gonna sneak attack Hongjoong, aren’t they.

A few seconds later, Hongjoong’s small form is hoisted up in the air onto Yunho’s back, being barreled towards the sea at high speed while the rest of the group cheered on, most notably San and Seonghwa. Hongjoong returns to his post under the umbrella seconds later with a spiky, soppy tail and soaked dad shorts. The older boy lightheartedly threw a few sand balls at Yunho to get back at him though every time Yunho passed his umbrella.

Meanwhile, Yunho found kept himself busy with Mingi, finding various multicolored shells they’d collect and deliver to a little pile they’d made beside Seonghwa’s sunchair, topped with dried up starfish, crab shells and pretty stones. Seonghwa didn’t open his eyes, dozing away the day under the sun, long legs shiny with lotion spread out against the cushion of his chair. 

An hour and a half in and Yunho had officially become the designated thrower of the group, meaning that he’d pick different members of their group up if they so pleased (and if they didn’t) and toss them into the water (excluding Mingi of course). At one point, he managed to be coerced into hauling Seonghwa up off of his serene sunbathing chair, glasses and hat falling off into the sand. And much to the disappointment of the others, he only ended up slowing as they go to the edge of the ocean, carrying Seonghwa slowly out into the ocean bridal style, unlike the over the shoulder technique he had been using. Seonghwa just giggled and let himself be carried like royalty out into the waves.

Yeosang, being chauffeured around the ocean on Jongho’s back, gives a big thumbs down and yells. “Booo... I came here to see Seonghwa get dunked.”

“I too, would like to witness the dunking of our dear Seonghwa!” Hongjoong yells from where he’d been pacing the shore.

And so, Yunho drops Seonghwa right then unannounced, the cat hybrid yelping before toppling into the water with a little splash and resurfacing with his hair all soaked to his face. The first thing he does upon recovering is shove a giggling Yunho over into the water as well. The two eventually just hold onto each other while the waves crash around them, swaying in the water as Seonghwa got used to the feeling of being submerged.

“Hey Hwa, come over here!” Once they’re out of the ocean, Hongjoong waves them over a bit away from the rest of the group, looking very intently at the patch of ocean in front of him. Seonghwa begins to make his way over to their friend and being the good boyfriend he is, Yunho follows him, feeling a bit like a clingy puppy but not beating himself up about it. 

When they get to Hongjoong, the other feline points to a muddled object floating in the waters. “I think it’s a bag but I swear I saw it move a second ago...”

“You think it’s an animal?” Seonghwa asks.

“I mean if it’s a bag then I kinda want to pick it up...” Hongjoong reveals his hand which is clutching a salvaged bag full of numerous plastic pieces he must have found in and around the ocean. So that’s what he’d been pacing around doing...

Yunho gets a bit closer, wading into the ocean and leaning his head down to get a clearer look at the weird plastic thing. “Doesn’t seem like a bag to me...” 

But then Wooyoung scampers over through the waves, curly tail wagging. “Whatcha guys doing?” He takes one look into the water where Yunho is and lets out a glass-shattering shriek. “Holy _fuck_ Yunho, is that a giant poisonous jellyfish?!” 

And that’s when the thing starts _moving_ towards Yunho and the pup feels like he might have jumped several feet in the air, scrambling towards the shore with his tail between his legs, immediately grabbing hold of Seonghwa and curling in on the older boy for comfort.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa are just laughing their asses off, both their tails slightly puffed from the surprise, Seonghwa wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and rocking him back and forth, cooing at how adorable he is.

It’d be time to go back to the house soon, with the way the breeze is picking up and a few clouds are rolling in. But Yunho doesn’t want to think about that right now. At this moment in time, it’s just the waves and the sun and the sound of his friends running across the beach, Seonghwa lying right by his side... and the smell of the ocean refreshing, clearing, and filling his senses.

Everyone moves from the beach to the large outdoor porch area once the sun starts to go down and paint the beach and intense orange, pink and red. Hongjoong takes it upon himself to order pizzas for dinner so Seonghwa won’t have to whip up a dinner for eight (even if Wooyoung swore he’d help), and they all end up gathering around the fire pit situated into patio, all spread out on the various porch furniture and tanning chairs. Yunho and Seonghwa make themselves comfortable on a sectional couch with the two other felines of the group.

In the middle of a conversation about sharks, mostly going on between Yeosang, Mingi and Jongho, San exchanges a look with Hongjoong before turning slyly to Seonghwa. “If you don’t mind me asking... what’d I do in life exactly, to warrant _this_ image on this fine Saturday night, hm?” He eyes Seonghwa, who is the only one still wearing his swimming trunks, and when the older boy turns to look at the tabby behind San, Hongjoong just shrugs innocently. Yunho laughs nervously.

The dog hybrid watches on as Seonghwa elegantly takes a bite of his pizza slice, making sure to give the lynx hybrid his best cool, sexy stare. “Youre cute, but I have a boyfriend, sweetie.” He draws a dominant arm around Yunho, who feels himself getting goosebumps and turning red.

San fakes a swoon, collapsing in Hongjoong’s arms. “ _Please_... I’m not kidding though, man. Like, if you stepped on me right now, I’d thank you.” The cat hybrid behind him laughs, wiping perspiration from San’s forehead and purring to him.

“Prove it then.” Seonghwa goes along with the act, and Yunho just _loved_ the way his boyfriend’s voice got all... commanding and delicate at the same time when he was like this. Even if it wasn’t directed at him which... kind of made his stomach curl but he didn’t want to get in the way of his friend’s fun so he ignored it.

“Anything, your majesty.” San bows to the older boy in respect.

Seonghwa then situates himself so that he’s leaning back on the leg of the couch, ass seated in Yunho’s lap, and feet propped up on the lynx hybrid’s knees Foot massage then.” Yunho lets out a snort of laughter.

Yunho wraps his arm around his boyfriend’s back, pulling him close and whispering. “You’re a jerk, Hyung...”

“He’s eager for it... might as well take advantage.” Seonghwa’s expression changed then to one of concern. “Unless... you don’t like it, me letting someone else...” He trails off.

“Hyung, don’t even mention that.” Yunho was determined not to be an overly clingy boyfriend, since he knew how annoying and limiting that must be for Seonghwa. It was just a joke amongst friends, nothing to make a fuss over. “I know it’s not serious.”

What he wasn’t expecting was San immediately going at it with the foot massage, rubbing the knots out of the balls his feet like it was the boy’s government assigned task, sticking his tongue out in concentration. Seonghwa sighed luxuriously.

Hongjoong looked over at Yunho from behind San. “You not jealous?” He asked playfully, meant in a lighthearted manner.

Yunho purses his lips and whines at his boyfriend in response, nudging at his side for attention like a lonely puppy until Seonghwa got the idea and gave Yunho a gentle kiss on the cheekto tide him over as he got his feet massaged. Even if he would usually go alpha-mode at the sight of Seonghwa too close to another person like this, Yunho just laughed, looking at Hongjoong. “Does San have a thing for feet?”

“Not as far as I know...” 

Yeosang and Jongho leave the patio and come out a few minutes later, probably from the kitchen since the dog hybrid is carrying a large cardboard box full of different drinks. The fox hybrid next to him looks down at San with very apparent judgement. “I can’t believe you’ve subjected yourself to Seonghwa’s wrath like that... honestly, I know he’s hot and all but I’m shocked it was _this_ soon.” 

“Hey.... I’m a kind ruler, don’t scare him off.” Seonghwa makes a shooing gesture at Yeosang.

“I wouldn’t care either way, just saying.” San pipes up eagerly.

“The Seonghwa harem is quite literally in full assembly right now...” Yeosang jokes, leaning back in one of the chairs and laughing to himself.

The group snack on their pizza and talk idly amongst each other, Seonghwa and Yunho keeping close, hair tousled in the wind and colors of the sun setting getting fainter all around them.

“Okay, first things first!” San claps his hands twice to get everyone’s attention. “Who’s got game ideas?”

“Nothing with alcohol, please.” Yunho spoke up, earning an immediate aggressive nod from Mingi.

“That just took half the fun out of the entire game, you guys.” Of course Yeosang would want to play a drinking game... any excuse to get utterly fucked and out of commission for the rest of the night was a yes in the fox hybrid’s book.

“We’re always playing those dumb games anyways....” San points out in opposition. “Why don’t we all just talk, about ourselves! I’ll start, I want Wooyoung to let me sit in his lap cause Hongjoong is bony.” The tabby boy gives San a playful punch. 

“Be my guest.” The curly-tailed pup gave his own thigh a pat, but Hongjoong keeps a firm grip on San, preventing him from going anywhere. “Okay, if I don’t get to be comfortable, then at least _you_ sit in _my_ lap.” And so, they switch places promptly, a much smaller Hongjoong making himself nice and comfy in his boyfriend’s lap, marking the end of Seonghwa’s chances at a second foot massage. He still stays planted in Yunho’s lap though.

Yunho shifts uncomfortably under his boyfriend in his shorts, not appreciating the sand filtering against the fabric or the rough beach hair he’s got going on. Seonghwa’s form is right up against his own though, sticky skin pressed against each other and Yunho thinks that if nit picky Seonghwa has no problems with it than he shouldn’t complain.

The conversation had moved on to college now, Yeosang ranting about how him and Jongho need to get an apartment together now that the boy’s been shunned in the name of societal conformity, etc... Jongho even chimes in with some insults directed at his parents which Seonghwa in particular laughs loudly at.

“Once I can take the upper classes and get Jongho an early admittance... we’ll try to figure stuff out then.” Jongho definitely had the skills to get in early just by his singing alone... Yeosang continues. “But what about the rest of you guys... what will you be doing in college...?”

“Living with you...” Jongho says softly, cuddling up against his boyfriend.

“I’m excited to enter some actual dance competitions...” Mingi mutters.

“Can’t wait to get my own frat house and officially be initiated into the college lifestyle...” Wooyoung lies back like he’s imagining his dream scenario as he speaks, San curled up on top of him. “Once I buy out the cafe and become campus king, it’ll be over for all of you. I’m gonna rule the freshman year!”

“I don’t doubt it.” Seonghwa says sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Hongjoong just raises an eyebrow in skepticism, laughing a bit from his place in San’s lap. “You guys are so weird getting _excited_ for college..”

“You and Hyung are living the ultimate dream! Freedom, career shit, uhhh... parties?” Wooyoung says uncertainly at the end.

“More like all-nighters, redbull and exhaustion.”

“Hey, I don’t do that!” Seonghwa points out, flicking an ear.

“You’re a fucking fairy princess, Hwa of course you don’t experience burnout.” Hongjoong pointed out. “He’s running on a different wavelength, I swear guys...”

“I wholeheartedly agree, Hongjoong.” Yeosang said, always eager for an opportunity to throw Seonghwa under the bus it seems. And the arguments continue. Mostly consisting of Yunho sweetly poking fun at Seonghwa’s habits, Hongjoong backing him up and San remarking on how sexy Seonghwa is again and again.

Yeosang brings in a tub of what looks like outdated halloween candy he says came from the bottom of the pantry with the claims that ‘if I can’t get drunk than I want a major sugar high _at least_ ’ and passing the tub around to whomever wanted to rot their teeth. Mingi got peer pressured into taking a crushed kit kat and Wooyoung gladly traded candies back and forth with San, who swears he has no idea where the stuff came from. Yeosang suggests there must be a hobo hiding out in their house and the lynx hybrid just shrugs. Yunho declined... as much as he loved sweets, eating mysterious outdated Halloween candy wasn’t on his list of ways he’d prefer to meet his inevitable demise.

Everyone was now trying to get Hongjoong to admit how many people he and San would be willing to have an orgy with, the tabby boy just evading every question put forth with a strictly monotone voice and simply shaking his head, frustrating the ever-curious Wooyoung to no extent. Seonghwa just sits back and watches the fight go down in front of him while Yunho takes this moment when everyone was distracted to give Seonghwa a quick, sneaky kiss.

“How the hell do you get anything out of him, exactly?” Wooyoung asks the feline in question’s boyfriend.

San’s eyes seemed to light up with mischief. “Oh, I know _exactly_ how to rile him up, watch this..” Hongjoong just scoffed like he didn’t believe the younger boy, looking down at him smugly. But then San starts purring. “Mmmh... Daddy, please...” And effectively knocks Hongjoong off his little throne, causing everyone in the room to burst out into gasps and giggles. Hongjoong’s expression is one of pure terror.

“Woah, hold up! Hold the fucking phone, did you just...?” Wooyoung’s eyes widen.

“Oh my fucking...” Yunho covers his eyes with his hands.

Yeosang rolls his eyes, unamused. “I hope for both my sanity and yours that that’s a joke.”

San is rolling in laughter while Hongjoong looks like he’s been to hell and back with the expression on his face, eyes wide and tail puffed all the way up, San giggling below him. 

Hongjoong seems to recover smoothly from his embarrassment after a moment of laughter. “In my defense... it’s nice when San does it. That’s all.” It was hardly a defense at all, but the group quickly changed the subject like they always did... now Yunho was left wondering if Hongjoong had made Seonghwa to call him that when they were sleeping together.... Wait, was Seonghwa into that? The other feline’s face had been pretty natural the whole time, but... fuck, bad place, bad mind space shit- he needed to calm down.

_______

Seonghwa and Yunho retreated up to their room at around ten, when the sun had already set and everyone was all ramped up on sugar from the radioactive halloween candy. San and Yeosang had finally managed to get everyone to agree to a ‘tame’ and ‘responsible’ drinking game but... Seonghwa had communicated he wasn’t in the mood tonight. Plus, he was feeling pretty sticky and smelly after romping around in the ocean all day. 

The cat hybrid hears a light buzz coming from the pocket of his discarded shorts once he’s out of the shower, wringing his tail out and shaking out his hair before grabbing his discarded clothes and seating himself on the toilet. The text reads: _Any beach pictures from today?_ It’s from his eomma.

Seonghwa wraps a towel around his waist and texts back quickly: _yep, give me a sec_. He sends a few pictures Hongjoong took of Seonghwa running out to the beach, a video of him getting thrown into the ocean for the second time (a combined effort of Wooyoung and Yeosang with moral support from Hongjoong), a picture of Yunho having lifted a soaked Seonghwa up out of the water and carrying the boy bridal style, and lastly, a sweet selfie of Seonghwa, Hongjoong, and San on the deck as the sun was setting. He texts: _these are the highlights. i’ll send more if you want!_

A few seconds pass, then Seonghwa’s eomma responds: _That sunset is lovely. Your friend must have a wonderful beach house_

Seonghwa smiles to himself. Leave it to Hongjoong to start dating one of the most wealthy felines in school. His eomma continues texting: _I showed your mamma the pictures. She says Yunho looks like a very strong boy_. Wait. Had... had his mamma just made a compliment? Complimented Yunho of all people? Had that just happened...?

“Hyung?” It’s Yunho tapping on the door. “You coming out soon?”

“I’ll be out in a few!” Seonghwa called out, putting his phone down and taking his... clothing of choice out of the box he’d brought them in. He slips the outfit on, turning back and forth in the bright light of the bathroom mirror, liking how soft and moist his skin looked right after a shower paired with the look. He slipped on a simple bathrobe over it all, tying it extra tight lest it accidentally come undone.

When he gets out of the bathroom, Yunho abruptly stops pacing in front of the door like he’s been waiting for Seonghwa that whole time he was showering, which was quite a while so the cat hybrid was kind of concerned...

“It’s a mess down there...” Yunho muttered to Seonghwa, leaning up against the wall.

Seonghwa circles Yunho and leans himself across from the younger. “Still doing body shots?”

“Yep.” Yunho pops the p at the end uncomfortably. “I think Hongjoong is trying to get everyone to go to sleep soon, though... I could hear him yelling.”

“He’s a lifesaver... I don’t know what I’d do on this trip without him honestly...” Seonghwa purrs, looking back at Yunho. “Though you’ve been... quite responsible yourself these last few days, puppy... am I rubbing off on you?” Yunho had refrained from a lot of his usual messing around with Wooyoung and Mingi most instances during this trip, and Seonghwa can’t help but feel like he might be stunting his boyfriend’s fun somehow.

“Ah, Hyung...” Yunho whines, walking up to the older boy and draping against him. “You’re turning me into an old person... I’ll have wrinkles all over my face in no time at this rate...”

Seonghwa laughed and gave the pup a kiss on the head. “I know this is crazy, but... I think my mamma might be warming up to you....” 

“What? No way...” Yunho looks at him in disbelief.

“Yes way. She said you look ‘strong’, or something like that...” It had been a wonder just to read that text. Seonghwa half thinks that his eomma might have just made it up or misheard her completely. And while he wasn’t ready to forgive his mamma quite yet, didn’t know when or if he ever would, it was a change. It was a start, if she had actually said that of course.

“If that’s the only compliment I’m ever getting from her... I’ll take it then. We can live our lives without her family curse over our consciouses, right?” Yunho laughs, rocking him and Seonghwa back and forth for a minute. Seonghwa smiles back.

They’re silent for a second before Seonghwa says. “Now that we’re alone... you want to try and have some more fun, pup?” He brought his tail around to curl over Yunho’s thigh and purred against his skin, encouraging the pup to relax.

He feels Yunho stiffen slightly against him. “Won’t they hear us...?” He looked to the door nervously, as if Wooyoung or San would burst through the walls at any moment and catch Yunho balls deep. Chances were that most of them were suffering from sugar high cooldown and would be out cold in a matter of minutes... 

Even with this fact in mind, Seonghwa still took this opportunity to tease the pup. “I don’t mind if the hear us... just lets people know how good you’re making me feel, right puppy?” He smiles when Yunho gets all flustered, hiding his face behind his hands. Seonghwa pats him on the hip and moves his hands gently, kissing him in the cheek. “You’re adorable, puppy...”

“Wooyoung was right, okay? We’re loud...” He blushes, smiling goofily. “Please be gentle...” The pup says last minute.

“In that case... I got you a present...” Seonghwa retreats to the corner of their room and returns with a very upscale-looking shopping bag, plopping it down on the bed in front of Yunho, who looks surprised but nonetheless delighted at the idea of a present. 

“Is it like... a sweater?” Yunho wagged his tail excitedly, clutching the bag in his hands.

“Not really...” The cat hybrid tilted his head. “If you don’t want to wear it, you don’t have to though... Please don’t feel pressured!”

“No! No, Hyung. I’ll try it on...” The pup scampers off to the bathroom with the bag like it’s Christmas day, door still tilted slightly open so that Seonghwa can practically _hear_ Yunho turning the color of freshly picked pink peaches all the way down to his chest... 

Seonghwa is about to tell him once again he doesn’t need to put it on if he’s uncomfortable but then the cat hybrid hears a sharp snap and a little yelp from Yunho as he presumably tries to wrestle the outfit onto himself and Seonghwa is suddenly excited. The cat hybrid would help him but... he wants the reveal to be a surprise in a way, like the pup is being presented to him... on a golden platter, all dolled up.

Yunho exits from the bathroom a few moments later, shuffling into the bedroom all decked out in Seonghwa’s personally selected, intricately laced white lingerie he had picked out a week before the trip. It was nothing too risqué, just a little frilly skirt, a few satin bows dotted here and there with tiny pearls beaded in, and some panties to match, the strap seen on his hips rising just above the skirt (which also barely covers his ass). Seonghwa made sure to get several pairs above the size of the skirt to properly fit the younger boy’s.... hefty package he had there. 

Yunho stands there awkwardly, arms drawn across his chest and body reddened as ever, looking to his boyfriend for any sign of approval and... Seonghwa hasn’t moved a muscle since the pup exited the bathroom he’s so in awe. The cat hybrid gets up from where he’s sat on the bed and strides up to his boyfriend, marveling at how the delicate lace contrasts with the broadness of his chest and shoulders... the softness of his milky skin, his cute little floppy ears. “You look gorgeous, puppy...” Seonghwa says, placing both his hands against Yunho’s chest, looking up at him, giving him a peck on the lips.

“Thanks, Hyung....” Yunho blushes even more, smiling and holding his hands at his sides shyly, probably unsure of what to do with them. The little skirt ruffles against Seonghwa as he inches closer to his boyfriend and... Yunho is just so _cute_ like this, with the skirt and all... so innocent and pretty...

“Are you... does it make _you_ feel good though, Yunho?” He says to make sure. 

“I... I think I like it.. It’s new, but it’s... kind of weird wearing it when you’re still dressed... I feel like I dressed up for the wrong occasion or something.” Yunho giggles nervously, reaching down to adjust the pantie strap on his hip.

“No worries, puppy.” And that was Seonghwa’s cue to remove his robe, all in one pull of the cloth around his waist. And like drapes revealing something akin to a monument... or a magnificent theater performance, Seonghwa reveals every inch of his skin, decorated with his favorite set of lingerie, a wine-red set with little heart embellishments. The robe crumples on the floor.

Seonghwa looked himself up and down then, the pantie straps catching at the skin on his hips, garters squeezing his thighs and bralette brushing against his nipples so they poked up under the fabric. His skin had gone to a slightly deeper tan than usual since summer started and he thinks it looks positively delectable against the red of the lace. Yunho seems to think too it seems, with the way the pup is hiding his face in his hands now, knees knocking together at the sight like a flustered school girl.

“Cat got your tongue?” He laughs playfully, tilting his head down and gently moving Yunho’s hands to look at him face to face, taking in the sight of them both like this, all dressed up, delicate and beautiful. Seonghwa _feels_ beautiful right now. Even more with Yunho’s eyes on him, with Yunho looking so pretty and perfect and innocently fascinated next to him.

“Hyung, I think I’m gonna pass out.” Yunho manages to choke out.

“Let’s get on the bed, then.” He ushers the dog hybrid onto the large mattress next to them, adjusting the lush pillows and soft sheets, laying himself back against the headboard with Yunho stood at the end of the bed, hands set between his thighs obediently, looking more flustered and confused than ever. And even then, the pup keeps looking Seonghwa up and down then averting his gaze out of embarrassment.

Seonghwa palms himself through his panties, feeling his length half hard under the smooth pull of the fabric and he looks right at Yunho like the pup is the only person on the planet. “Come closer.” Yunho obeys immediately, moving up almost between Seonghwa’s legs, sitting on his knees in a very awkward position. “How do you want to do this, puppy?”

Yunho shifts from side to side. “I want... can you just... continue doing that for now?” He asks.

“You’ll watch me touch myself?” The idea sounds appealing in Seonghwa’s head, as he just _loves_ Yunho’s attention all on him. The pup nods, shifting nervously again and Seonghwa purrs, bringing his tail around to flick at Yunho’s thigh teasingly, onto the dog hybrid’s lap. 

Seonghwa took his cock out of his panties, so that most of the shaft and the head were peeking out. He starts with just his finger, one single finger up the length of his shaft, bring his hand up to the smooth head and pressing his thumb down at the slit, so that a small bit of precum leaked out the tip. He spreads that down the length and begins properly jerking himself, biting his lip in concentration. He felt himself giving in to the feeling, letting his head rest against the pillows and a small moan escape his lips.

Seonghwa took his hand off his cock after a second and reached down, moving the thinnest part of the panties aside to where his hole was dripping with slick, a small patch wetting the fabric. He teases himself, holding his cock and balls back with his other hand as he slips his fingers in between his asscheeks to spread them, dipping slightly past the rim of his fluttering hole and then stopping again.

The cat hybrid flits his tail to and fro as he mewls and pleads to himself at the feeling, gaze landing on his own cock, helplessly twitching and dripping precum onto the dips in his stomach. Yunho watched on in wonder, floppy ears perked up, eyes lazily flitting back and forth between Seonghwa’s expression and his smooth cock.

“It’s so... _pretty_ , Hyung...” Yunho says longingly, looking down at the wet head of Seonghwa’s cock, a slight shine there from the moisture. Seonghwa smiles up at his boyfriend and runs a thumb over his tip, swiping the precum there, skin lighting up all over at the praise, so loving Yunho’s eyes on him like this.

The pup continues to just stare at Seonghwa’s cock like it’s the last slice of cake at a birthday party, almost drooling at the sight, little tongue slightly poked out of his mouth even. “So pretty...” He goes on mindlessly. “Want it... want it in me...” The pup mutters before he picks up on Seonghwa’s surprise, the tensity now present in the air and his eyes go wide like he hadn’t meant to say those words out loud. “Fuck- shit, Hyung, I mean.... it was just...” He stammers over his words. “It wasn’t like that, but...”

Seonghwa leans back up and places a finger over his mouth to silence him, now processing this new idea in his mind. So... that’s what Yunho wanted, wether he had meant to voice it or not. How long thought exactly had he been desiring this sort of thing?

Seonghwa hadn’t really ever thought about being the one to penetrate when it came to sex... he’d always fingered himself whenever he could even before he first slept with Hongjoong, always wanted to be on receiving end as it was so easy to just slip in with the amount of slick he’d leak. He was made for it after all, but... maybe... it wouldn’t be so bad to try something else out? Especially since Yunho wanted it so much... that alone made Seonghwa much more curious.

And every moment the cat hybrid doubted himself, the image of Yunho all messed up and whiny, hands grasping desperately at the sheets, begging and pleading mindlessly in that frilly little _skirt_ for Seonghwa and Seonghwa only instantly appeared and any hesitance he had completely dissipated.

Yunho was still sitting there, embarrassed and regretful when Seonghwa responded. “If I fuck you... then I’m expecting you to pound me down into the sheets afterwards.” He compromises, making sure Yunho knows this is a two-way thing.

And the pup’s eyes seemed to light up with arousal even more when Seonghwa proposed that. “Deal.”

Seonghwa purred, taking his hands out of his panties and turning his attention all on his boyfriend, moving so that they switch positions on the bed and easing his hands down the taller boy’s sides. “You’re gonna look so pretty, puppy...” He twirls his fingers under the pup’s white pantie straps, snapping them and earning a cute noise from Yunho.

“Are you sure though, Hyung? I know you said before you didn’t like using your...”

“My dick? I’ll get over it...” Seonghwa licked his lips. “If I don’t like it, I’ll stop. I promise I’ll let you know, okay? And if you want me to stop we need a word...” He adds at the end, digging through his suitcase next to the bed to find the bottle of lube in one of the pockets. This is Yunho’s first time really being on the receiving end so it’s even more important they establish some safety rules. “How about the word red for stop?”

“Okay...” Yunho seemed really _really_ nervous. Understandably so... Seonghwa wanted this to be enjoyable as it could be for him, he wanted Yunho to feel safe in his arms, like he was free to just lie back and let Seonghwa handle everything. 

“Lean back for me, okay?” Yunho did as Seonghwa said, letting his back rest on the pillows, taking a smaller one and holding it to his chest. The cat hybrid brought his tail over to wrap around the younger boy’s leg, knowing how much that brought him comfort, and propped another pillow under the pup to lift his hips. “You’re gonna do great, puppy. Want me to stretch you now?”

Yunho just nods, holding the pillow up to half cover his face. Seonghwa squeezes the pup’s strong, supple thighs as he parts them, appreciating the skirt look even more now that he can see Yunho from _this_ angle. The skirt is so short Seonghwa can see the panties now, fine lace with a very convenient opening right where Yunho’s ass dipped down to his hole. 

The cat hybrid has always appreciated the younger boy’s... fine hunk of meat he had in both the front and back departments. Quite a marvel, really. He pats the skin there appreciatively and pumps out a fine helping of lube, spreading it between his fingers before dipping down to smoothly slip between the pup’s soft asscheeks.

Seonghwa makes sure to start slow, circling the pup’s taut rim, moving up to run his fingers over his perineum, pressing down gently there and drawing a deep, throaty sound out of his boyfriend, one he didn’t often hear. Seonghwa just huffs to himself and dips down again to circle the rim once more, intruding past slowly but surely. 

He pressed his finger in and out steadily, asking Yunho again if he was okay and soon adding a second finger, scissoring slightly to speed up the process. Seonghwa knows exactly the way to get himself turned on this way, just by touching his ass and taint and he uses this knowledge to his advantage. Before long, Yunho is a messy, moaning mess, cock fully erect and bulging out of the panties, face still half covered by the small pillow.

“More... please more..” Yunho kept asking again and again, Seonghwa continuing to remind him he needed to be patient, that it would hurt otherwise. And so, the pup laid back and let Seonghwa work him open. _Like a good boy_ Seonghwa thought to himself happily.

“I think I need a better angle...” The cat hybrid muttered at one point, finding it hard to get to the pup’s prostate, and Yunho immediately just nodded and maneuvered around into a new position, placing a pillow below his cheek and keeping his backside up in the air, so that the older boy and a perfect view of his ass, tail lifted and curling towards his back, strong thighs slightly splayed with the little frilly skirt as the cherry on top... and if Seonghwa wasn’t curious enough before, he definitely, _definitely_ was curious as he could be now.

Seonghwa finds the pup’s sweet spot easily now, brushing over it slowly with the pads of his fingers and marveling at how small the spot was compared to his own, rubbing against the little ball of flesh and purring amusedly to himself at the reaction he gets. Yunho arches his back in a way that was clearly involuntarily, moaning loud and drawn out into the pillow, tail wagging subconsciously at the touch. It’s a sight to behold really, this sweet little spot invoking such a strong reaction. He removes his fingers then, with a little whine of protest from Yunho. “You ready?”

Yunho breathes hard in and out, body shivering. “I.. just go slow, Hyung... please...”

“We’re both new to this, puppy... it’ll be slow, don’t worry.” Seonghwa eased his mind, slipping his panties down and popping his own smooth, wet cock out, standing tall against his tummy.

Yunho is waiting so patiently now... tail curled all the way up to allow maximum access, shyly shifting from side to side... The cat hybrid briefly wondered just how many people got the privilege of seeing an alpha like this, in the traditional place of an omega... just how lucky he was that Yunho felt comfortable enough to share this part of himself with Seonghwa. That he got to see his alpha in panties and a _skirt_ , waiting to be taken for fucks sake. 

He reached under to run a hand down Yunho’s chest and ease him into the unfamiliar feeling, stopping above his groin and going back up to touch his pecs, running his thumbs over his little pink buds as Yunho shivered. “You’ll do great, puppy I’ve got you... just relax, okay?” 

On the contrary, Seonghwa was probably just as nervous as Yunho was but he didn’t want to pup to know that... it was going to be a learning hurdle for him to go through.

He lines the tip of his cock up to Yunho’s hole, pushing past the rim slowly and slotting all the way in with a small grunt, stopping there, getting both him and his boyfriend used to it. The feeling is definitely new, strange even, to have Yunho all around him like this, soft walls pulsing on all sides. Not a bad feeling definitely, but a new one nonetheless. “Are you... doing okay..?” Yunho asks, barely a whisper. 

Seonghwa adjusts his bralette and slowly shifts inside Yunho, adjusting his position. “I’m doing fine, puppy... you want me to start moving?” The pup nods, and Seonghwa swallows his fears. Time to jump the last hurdle.

Seonghwa started out slow, going with his gut as to what he was supposed to do, shallow and thrusts just to get familiar with the feeling of being... inside someone, inside Yunho. His boyfriends whines are muffled by the pillow and Seonghwa can barely hear him let out a little plead, a request for more. The cat hybrid himself was getting impatient, feeling arousal pool in his stomach and send little pulses throughout his body.

And so, Seonghwa placed both his hands on Yunho’s hips and shifted his position slightly, angling himself over the pup, hovering over him so he gets to see all of his boyfriends desperate little shivers, grasping the sheets helplessly... he begins to move faster, not too deep since he didn’t know how far he should go before it’d hurt for anyone who wasn’t equipped with a made-to-fuck hole like he himself was... he needed to be careful with Yunho, gentle. 

Even if the thrusts were still light, it got a reaction out of Yunho all the same, the pup’s body jerking slightly and Seonghwa figures he must have hit his prostate somewhere in there. “Did that feel good?” He purrs, moving his hand to rub Yunho’s broad back, appreciating how... satisfying it really felt to have someone bigger and taller than him like this. It was similar to how he felt when he rode the pup. 

“Yes, Hyung....” Yunho moves his face to the side so he can speak clearly. “I wanna... I wanna see you though.” He whines, angling himself a bit to the side.

So Seonghwa lifts Yunho’s legs with his arms, slipping out momentarily for the pup to maneuver himself around. The pup’s face is debauched, eyes watery and chest heaving. Seonghwa almost feels sorry for him. Almost. The cat hybrid grips Yunho’s hips, using all the strength he can to lift his boyfriend and prop a pillow under him to provide better access before slipping back in with a soft moan. “Such a pretty alpha...” He muttered.

The older boy starts slow again, angling upwards to try and brush against Yunho’s prostate again, causing the pup to whine and cry out, voice higher pitched than usual, clutching onto his skirt and holy fucking... holy shit, Yunho looks like a fucking dream, Seonghwa just knows he’ll have these images of his boyfriend locked away in his mind for quite a long time after.

But when Seonghwa began purring, that was when the noises and squirming reached a new height. The vibrations had always made Seonghwa himself more sensitive to the touch because of the feeling alone, having that rumble on your skin. He’s used to the feeling, having slept with another feline and experienced his share of purring used to heighten sensitivity in that way but to Yunho... the pup cant purr himself... it must feel like a vibrator is going in and out of him like this.

“Good alpha... that feels good, right? You’re such a perfect alpha, just for your omega to fuck into, right?” Seonghwa knows the dirty talk could backfire but he can’t even think straight by now, too wrapped up in the feeling of Yunho’s tight walls all around him, to the point he had- he had called himself _omega_. What was wrong with him?

“Such a good Alpha... such a good alpha for me, right, puppy?” Seonghwa muttered into Yunho’s ear roughly as he picked up the pace, enough to make Yunho gasp and whine to an even higher extent. And with it, Seonghwa can feel himself beginning to cave into the feeling, starting to whine, moans becoming more and more high pitched and breathless, thrusts getting erratic and messy.

And so he moves fast as he could while keeping mind of Yunho, how sensitive he must be, and finally, _finally_ , he empties into Yunho with a choked out moan, feeling his orgasm pulse throughout his whole body, feeling Yunho all around him, the scent of peaches entering his system. The younger boy cries out as well, Seonghwa can almost hear him sob a bit and he’s sure Yunho must have come as well, judging by his rapid breathing. Sure enough, he pulls back and is met with the grand sight of his sweet, sweet boyfriend, heaving below him, painted in his own cum so beautifully, all up his stomach... Seonghwa pulls out. He feels... spent and tired, brain fuzzy from everything that had just happened, the perfect state to be pounded into the mattress he thinks. Seonghwa collapses onto Yunho’s chest, both their over-sensitive cocks trapped between their bodies, and catches his breath. 

Yunho seems to calm after a bit too, lazily resting his hands on Seonghwa’s back and absentmindedly running them down the curves there, reaching his ass and the base of his tail where the cat hybrid shivers under the touch. “Thank you, Hyung...” Yunho says in his fucked-out haze. “Thank you so much...”

“Anytime, puppy..” Despite how exhausted he feels from it Seonghwa enjoyed the new experience wholeheartedly. Taking care of Yunho like that felt... filling in a way. And it made him gain a new kind of appreciation for how much energy and gusto Yunho was able to work up when he would fuck Seonghwa, how he was able to do it over again during his ruts because it was _tiring_ to keep up a pace like that. “I didn’t expect to.. like it as much as I did.” He giggles. “You’re so cute like that.” 

Yunho has a soft blush on his cheeks, eyes warm when he looks over his boyfriend. “It was different... but I.. I’d like to do it again in the future if- if that’s okay...” He says shyly.

The cat hybrid smiles at his sweet boyfriend. “You’re too cute, puppy... of course I want to do it again... don’t you worry, you’re not pressuring me or anything, okay? I loved it.” He held Yunho’s hand and ran a finger over the little ribbon, the satin against soft skin. Yunho had a wide, lopsided silly smile on his face after that, taking Seonghwa’s waist in his hands and cradling the boy, moving so that the cat hybrid was underneath him now. He leans down to kiss Seonghwa, a small peck on the lips, not intending to move from that position either. 

It takes awhile, laying there peacefully until the cat hybrid can feel Yunho’s length, hardening up again and pressing against his thigh. And so, he moves around Yunho to his side, leaning himself back again the pillows next to the younger boy. “You ready?” Seonghwa asks Yunho, who nods eagerly, quickly taking the older boy by the thighs and spreading them smoothly, taking a long look at his little hole, aching to be filled, dripping with slick at this point. Seonghwa knows he should feel embarrassed but he’s too far gone at this point to feel any shame over the state of his body. 

The fingering takes much less time than it did with Yunho, thankfully, since the pup was probably frustrated and needing a second release at this point. Seonghwa works himself open messily, mind just intent on being filled and easing himself into the headspace while Yunho pulls off the panties and skirt, working a knotting condom down his length. Seonghwa takes the bralette off and discards it on the ground next to Yunho’s skirt.

The cat hybrid has no trouble lifting his hips eagerly and letting out a small soft noise of appreciation when Yunho begins shifting between his legs and lining himself up to Seonghwa’s hole. “You’re perfect...” The pup says warmly to him. “Perfect any way... so good to me, Hyung...” He whines at the end, pressing inside Seonghwa and burying his head in the older boy’s neck, coming to a still.

And with one encouraging tap in Yunho’s side, the pup begins thrusting, quick and messy since he’s already worked up, chasing his orgasm inside Seonghwa and not holding back on his noises. But Seonghwa was getting impatient even with the quick pace... he needed his release now.

“Knot me, please, puppy knot me already....” Seonghwa begs, clawing at Yunho’s back like he might fall forever if he doesn’t hold on for his life. “I need it... I need your knot, Yunho please give... please give it to me...” 

On command, Yunho knots him almost immediately, cock swelling at the base faster than it ever has and pace shallowing out as the knot catches on Seonghwa’s rim and prevents him from pulling out anymore, locking inside Seonghwa and stalling just as the older boy comes all over his chest, body pulsing and shaking. He catches his breath, feeling Yunho’s knot firm inside him, cock long and softening up. He must have came too...

He kisses Seonghwa then, messy and wet on the lips, lapping into his mouth and holding onto Seonghwa, almost shaking. The cat hybrid returns the kiss weakly, overwhelmed and breathless, body thrumming so much with the aftermaths of his orgasm that he almost doesn’t notice that Yunho is crying, until the pup’s body begins shaking and shuddering, face shrouded over by his soft golden locks and arms struggling to hold himself up. Seonghwa’s heart quickens at the sight, alarmed by the sudden reaction from his boyfriend and he parts the pup’s hair to see his face.

Yunho is sobbing, eyes filled with tears and face reddened. Seonghwa caresses his cheek and pulls the pup to the side so he doesn’t have to hold himself up anymore, holding Yunho close, pressing the pup’s knot tighter inside him. “Yunho what’s wrong? What’s wrong, puppy...?” He softens his voice and kisses his boyfriend’s wrist, beginning to feel a pain there himself, just a small throbbing. “Did I do something wrong...? 

The pup doesn’t answer him, he just whimpers out, “My omega...” Yunho sniffs back his tears and nuzzled Seonghwa’s cheek. “Please... please, Seonghwa... omega please..” He was begging repeatedly, grasping at Seonghwa’s sides like he might disappear on sight. 

“Please what, puppy?” Seonghwa murmured, voice soft and gentle with understanding. He must have accidentally pushed Yunho into his alpha mode or something...

Yunho’s cheeks were stained red with tears by now, eyes big and shiny . “Please don’t leave me...” He looked at Seonghwa like the cat hybrid held a leash on him, like Seonghwa might tug on it if he were to get angry, or drop it if he so desired and the pup would still be devoted to his omega like he couldn’t live without him. The older boy never wanted Yunho to feel like that... he never wanted to have that kind of authority over his boyfriend, the kind that might crush him one day. 

“I couldn’t leave you if I tried, Yunho.” Seonghwa had tried, _oh_ he had tried to distance himself, repress his feelings, time and time again and it never worked. He was speaking straight from experience. “I mean that more than you could imagine.” Seonghwa can feel himself beginning to cry, blinking back the tears only to have them stream down his face anyways. 

“Promise..?” Yunho whispers, barely a sound heard, eyes big and watery. Seonghwa’s heart breaks. It breaks into a million pieces and then circulated around him like flying glass shards, ripping at his insides. It’s a sad, pitiful feeling. 

“I promise. I promise I’ll be yours, I’ll be your mate for as long as I’m alive, Yunho.” He doesn’t even register the words in his mind before they’re out in the open. He’s not thinking, purely feeling everything inside himself right now, everything Yunho is feeling on top of that. Every feeing of trauma the pup has endured without Seonghwa there to help him...

The pup is shaking a bit less now, just holding Seonghwa to him, words soft and uttered so carefully when he says, clear and true. “I love you.... I love you, Seonghwa..” He takes a long shuddering breath. “Even if you ever don’t need me... even if we’re apart.... I’ll always love you and only you.” 

Seonghwa feels like his heart is going a mile a minute, caught up in the feeling, not planning on going down anytime soon because Yunho just told Seonghwa he _loved him_. Yunho loves him. He loves him and only him and that would never change. They were bonded, joined in a unity no one could break. Stronger than any parent who would try to break them apart, stronger than any hurtful comment or societal pressure or anything the world had thrown at them over their years together. “I love you too, Yunho.” He says, the weight of those words laying heavy in his gut.

And Yunho... Yunho looks at Seonghwa like he’s been liberated, like Seonghwa just gave him the most precious gift nothing else could even come close to.

“I love you, Yunho...” He repeats again and again as Yunho weeps on and on. “Your omega loves you, Yunho. Your omega is never leaving you, I’ll never let go of you, Yunho.” Seonghwa tells him, voicing every thought he had during the pup’s ruts, during his breakdown that one time when everything in his heart had screaming at him to return Yunho’s words, dive deep into that space of love for the pup so soon. His mind had kept him from that.

“You’re the best alpha, the most beautiful mate I could ask for, puppy. I could never ask for another, no one comes close.” He chokes on his words, kissing away his boyfriend’s tears and nuzzling at his face. “But puppy... you told me you loved me... awhile ago.” He finally said. It was out in the open now, for Yunho to judge all he wanted. The ball was in his park.

“W- what?” He looks back, confused and still very emotional.

Seonghwa took a deep breath to steady himself for this. “On... on the night of your second rut, Yunho. When you couldn’t remember.” He says. “You told me you loved me... and I didn’t believe you, so I....” He pauses to gather his words. “But I didn’t say anything back. I broke your heart.” And there it was. Seonghwa felt almost guilty he was boy expressing these feelings now, having ket them from his boyfriend for quite awhile now.

But Yunho didn’t cry even more, he didn’t pull back from Seonghwa. He just began giggling, much to the cat hybrid’s confusion. “Yunho... Yunho whats... what are you doing?”

“After all we’ve been through... Seonghwa...” He looks with soft eyes at his boyfriend. “I could never get upset at something... something like that.“ His voice is weak and still tinged with emotions, pulling the cat hybrid close to him again, breath steady. “None of that matters, nothing matters at all... not one thing, no one else but _us_.” The pup rambles.

Seonghwa let out a breath. “Puppy... i was so worried.” He admits. That was a big weight off his shoulders. He had envisioned in his mind over and over the image of Yunho’s expression dropping or worse, him bursting into tears but it seemed like things... were going to be okay. That he hadn’t screwed up that bad after all.

“I don’t care what might have happened... I don’t even remember, Hyung...” Yunho says dreamily. “What matters is now, and right now I love you more than anything and anyone, Hyung.”

Seonghwa feels his heart vibrating with the intensity of his own purring, leaning foreword to kiss Yunho on the lips, once twice and too many times to count. Simple kisses this time, ones that meant far more than face value. “I love you too, Yunho...”

They fall asleep like that, curled around each other, bodies linking up like puzzle pieces, like they’d always meant to be close and Seonghwa thinks back to a time when they were younger, when they were just like this actually. Seonghwa would curl himself around a then-smaller Yunho and they’d fall asleep like that on the couch in the pup’s basement so many times, not meaning to but still somehow always ending up there. 

Seonghwa purrs, imagining their little selves and how innocently in love they had been at the time... how they’d wake up like that, twined together, bonded at the wrist.

A bond that wouldn’t be broken by anyone or anything.

_______

Its six in the morning when Seonghwa woke up, eyes flitting open and greeted with the glowing white of the alarm clock across the room on the dresser. Why was he awake at this hour again during summer? Him and Yunho had gone to sleep at around twelve... he hadn’t gotten as much rest as he had hoped. Fuck, he also had dried cum all up his torso... the cat hybrid was so used to Yunho cleaning him up before sleeping at this point he’d forgotten what the morning after was like normally.

Yunho’s familiar form was right up against Seonghwa’s back, the pup’s cock still firmly lodged up his ass though the knot had gone down overnight. The cat hybrid’s insides feel wet and gooey, particularly gross and Seonghwa sighs and mentally slaps himself as he realizes Yunho had left that condom on inside of him all night. That was going to be _gross_ when he pulled out. 

Even with that knowledge, Seonghwa needed to clean himself so he carefully broke their connection, leaving a sleepy Yunho still dozing in bed and reaching his hands above his head as he stretched, arching his back, curling his tail... 

He wiped himself off with a soft washcloth and water in the bathroom, returning to the bedroom to pull open the curtains, revealing a faint light coming up on the horizon far off across the waters, spreading rippling stripes of slightly orange colored beams down the walkway of the distant ocean, a beautiful sight, especially to wake up to. And especially to wake up to it with Yunho right next to him. He opens the doors to the balcony, not stepping outside but looking out over the ocean.

Speaking of Yunho, the pup was still curled up in bed, clutching onto the sheets like he’s searching for his boyfriend, face screwed up in a little pout. It’s sweet to see Yunho, who’s so big all little and peaceful like this.

But Seonghwa’s gaze must have some sort of effect, because just then, Yunho shifts around to stretch his own hands above his head and blink open with a sharp squint at Seonghwa, trying to make out his silhouette in the dark room. “G’morning Hyung...” He says in his deep morning voice. Then he notices the used, nasty condom still slipped onto his cock and the pup just cringes back, groaning. “Fuck... that’s disgusting..”

Seonghwa grabs his hand and pulls to get Yunho up. “Clean yourself off and we can cuddle, okay puppy?”

“Mmhm...” Yunho grumbles, fluffing his hair up with his hand and throwing the tied condom into the trash with the other, heading to the bathroom before pausing stiffly. He looks back at Seonghwa with now-wide eyes.

“What?” Seonghwa asks him

“I...” Yunho starts, rubbing his neck nervously. “Is there a stain on the sheets....?” 

Seonghwa ruffles around, pulling the covers off, not getting what Yunho meant but sure enough, he uncovers a little crusted patch smack dab in the middle of the bed. Seonghwa feels himself cringing back as it dawns on him. “We forgot to clean you up, huh...”

“And now my ass feels like a peanut butter jar, thanks to you, Hyung.” Yunho laughs uncomfortably

Seonghwa leans back in bed, looking outside at the slowly rising sun as the sound of the sink running stops and Yunho returns to the room, body completely bathed in the faint light coming from outside, dappling across the the skin on his side, outlining every muscle and curve. The pup stretches stiffly, tail curling behind him and hands reaching up into the air before coming foreword to collapse onto the bed. 

The cat hybrid smiles and gives his boyfriend’s ass a pat, running his hands over the base of his tail and up his back. “Rough night?” He jokes.

“I’m stiff and sore....” Yunho groans. “Not crusty anymore, though! Totally worth it.” The pup adds, turning his head around to smile lazily up at his boyfriend. Seonghwa knew the feeling, that satisfaction and soreness the morning after a long night. “You’re... you’re good at that, taking care of me.” He murmurs. “Not just, like in that sense but in general. You always have been.”

“I love it, taking care of you... it’s second nature to me at this point.” Seonghwa gently massages his back with one hand. “You still don’t care about me not telling you about that night...?” Seonghwa wanted to make sure now that Yunho was fully awake and not in that headspace anymore. But Yunho just shook his head, smiling.

“I understand why you didn’t tell me... that was probably scary, right?” Yunho blinked slowly. “Having to... confront that so off guard.” 

Seonghwa joins Yunho on the bed again, the small bit of light that was outside gliding across the sheets, curtains being tousled lightly. It was a scene right out a romance novel, one of those deep gritty romantic ones Seonghwa would read when he was in his early teens. He had thought back then that those types of romances were... realistic in any sense. Turns out life had very different plans for him. 

He rolls Yunho over so that they’re spooning again, this time with Seonghwa in the big spoon position like he preferred really. It was comforting to be held in Yunho’s strong embrace from time to time but nothing could beat the feeling of holding the pip close like he would when Yunho was smaller than him, keeping him safely wrapped up.

“Hyung.” Yunho speaks up. 

“Yeah?”

Yunho is silent, then he says nervously. “Can we... I know we already have our bracelets but...” 

Seonghwa understood before Yunho even said it. “You want to have mating marks, right?”

Yunho nodded, turning in the cat hybrid’s arms to face him. “Would you be okay with that?” Would he? Seonghwa had always loved the idea of him and Yunho having their special mating marks in the form of their bracelets, fitting for them since they weren’t even the traditionally accepted couple. But at the same time, he knew Yunho was a canine, and that the traditional marks were a part of their instincts. Yunho had loved marking him so much during his first rut... he’d probably want to do it now, especially since they were official.

“Wouldn’t be any harm in it, right?” Seonghwa points out, eyes falling on Yunho’s neck, the spot where the mating mark would be. “So it won’t go away at all?” He asks, running his fingers over the skin there, noticing it’s particular softness.

“Something about the skin scars easily, I think...” Yunho answers, taking a deep breath and baring the spot for Seonghwa to have perfect access, clear view of where he’d bite down. He looks so vulnerable like this, so perfectly willing and eager to let Seonghwa mark him. And Seonghwa was just overjoyed at the idea of having another claim on Yunho besides the bracelet, the traditional bond. Even if it didn’t add anything to their bond technically... it would probably get grabby omegas off Yunho’s tail. Show everyone that Yunho belonged to someone.

Seonghwa leaned down, letting his body rest next to Yunho’s and kissed lightly at the spot with his lips pillowing against the soft skin, hearing the way Yunho’s breath tensed, how he bared his neck even more at the touch. And so, the older boy lets his tongue poke out to give the spot a small lick, kissing over it repeatedly before nipping firmly.

Yunho’s scent seems to get stronger and richer now, flooding Seonghwa’s senses and filling his very being up to the brim with sweet peach pie, like he’s taking a walk through an orchard on a hot summer day. Seonghwa bites down slightly harder, letting his tongue lap at the spot right after and the pup shivers beneath him, body still not resisting but the older boy figures he shouldn’t try going any deeper. He didn’t want to draw blood or hurt Yunho in any way. He sucks down on the spot hard as he felt comfortable doing, running another hand across Yunho’s chest and finding its place at his hip. For a moment, they’re both silent and still, Seonghwa feeling Yunho’s skin soft under his teeth. 

Once Seonghwa retracts himself, Yunho’s scent seems to surround that spot and circulate through his body so Seonghwa licks at the reddening mark carefully, marveling at the way it’s imprinted into Yunho’s skin so easily, how pretty it looks there... and the thought that it would stay forever...

“It’s so pretty on you, puppy...” Seonghwa beamed at his fine work, loving the way Yunho’s skin contrasts so perfectly with the mark. Yunho’s breathing is slightly deeper now, blinking up at Seonghwa like the cat hybrid was a handsome deity. Seonghwa curls up next to Yunho promptly, burying his nose in his neck. “Now you can do me.” 

The pup looks unsure of himself, blinking sadly. “It’s not gonna stick, Hyung...” Yunho points out. “By the end of the week it’ll just be another faded claim mark...” He looks downtrodden by the idea, the idea that Seonghwa couldn’t have a traditional canine claim mark. 

“That just means you’ll have to keep putting it there, right? Every time it fades..” The cat hybrid pointed out, flipping onto his back. As Yunho moved over top of him, he saw the younger boy’s expression change to one of intrigue, shrugging his shoulders at the idea. Seonghwa immediately took to pressing the side of his face to the soft pillow, baring his neck and presenting himself for Yunho to place his mark. Yunho’s tail is wagging happily at the sight, seeming to recover from his hesitance.

The pup leans down to carefully lap at the spot where he’d be putting down the mark, right at the base of the side of Seonghwa’s neck, nipping lightly and kissing the skin repeatedly. He mutters. “You’re so beautiful...” Yunho lets his hands wander down Seonghwa’s body, probably not even meaning for his touches to arouse the cat hybrid, just mindless, needy touching because he wanted to feel every bit of his boyfriend in this moment.

Yunho bites down in that spot harder than he normally would, probably to make a lasting mark. He sucked long and insistently, still wandering his hands running over his boyfriend’s body, thumbing at his nipples, dipping to his navel and thighs, letting his hands land everywhere as he sucked the mark into Seonghwa’s skin. The cat hybrid gasps when he sucks particularly hard, letting his head rest limply and body give up all tenseness in Yunho’s hold.

And when he pulls back, Seonghwa can see the look of pride Yunho has on his face, licking his lips and bringing Seonghwa to a sleepy kiss, the cat hybrid gladly responding and tangling his hands in Yunho’s hair, tongues moving in and out with no rhythm or meaning, just touching for the sake of it.

“Can... can I do more?” Yunho asks softly, shyly between kisses

“Of course, puppy.” 

Yunho starts on his neck, next to where the mating mark was, biting down and sucking a few into his collarbones, pausing to lick over the mating marks every now and then like it needed reinforcing. “May I..?” He asks permission before going down further. The dog hybrid’s ears are all perked up like he’s opening a birthday present.

Seonghwa giggled, patting Yunho on the head. “You may, Yunho.” 

And he gets to work fast, smiling and immediately latching onto the top of his chest, going back and forth between nuzzling against it and nipping gently at it. Seonghwa runs his hands through Yunho’s hair and sighs, leaning back and letting himself be marked up by his boyfriend, happy to indulge him. The pup’s bites are never there for long, never inflicting pain since they’re shallow. Seonghwa thinks it probably because Yunho doesn’t want to hurt him and he’s honestly so touched by that.... 

Yunho moves even lower then, looking up at Seonghwa for permission of course before earning a nod from the cat hybrid and dipping down to his thighs, taking hold of them and spreading his legs with gentle ease, moving them up slightly so as to get a partial access to the flesh on his ass. Seonghwa moves with him, smiling to himself at how excited the pup was to be able to mark Seonghwa like this.... he’d always be amused by Yunho’s antics when it came to instincts and alpha stuff.

Yunho licks a long stripe on the inner part of his thigh, down near his cock and since Seonghwa is too tired he lets out a little high pitched noise at the touch, oversensitive. Yunho’s tail wags behind him and he continues to latch onto that area, making two or three more little marks all along the innermost parts of his boyfriends thighs. “No one is gonna see these ones...” He mutters.

“They’re just for you to look at, puppy...” Seonghwa purrs, aware he’s encouraging Yunho to make more. “Only for you to touch and look at.”

Yunho smiles and hums appreciatively, nuzzling at Seonghwa’s inner thigh, breathing in his scent there and then moving to press more kisses to his marked up stomach, licking over them again and again as if it’d make them darker. 

If the marks were anything like they were last time, they’d turn out as cute little brown bruises, since Yunho never bit down hard enough to inflict anything more. Seonghwa’s mark on Yunho, however, was red and mottled, skin blooming so easily. Seonghwa wonders if he might have bitten down too hard. 

“I love them, puppy...” Seonghwa brought Yunho close, letting the pup lie on his chest and sigh contentedly. The way Yunho would worship his body like that, give him the prettiest marks all up the plains of his skin satisfied Seonghwa in a way he couldn’t quite describe. It was like how he felt after eating a full meal, knowing he needed it and deserved it. It was a nice balance they had, taking turns caring for and pampering each other. 

Seonghwa made a mental note to take Yunho shopping and buy him every item in the store if he so pleased today when they went to the beach town. Might as well use his upper middle-class status for something useful. 

“I love... I love marking you.” Yunho says it like he’s admitting his addiction, or his guilty pleasure or something. “I love the way it looks, but... I was so afraid you didn’t like it, since that time at San’s.”

While it had been embarrassing, Seonghwa had almost completely forgotten about the incident. Not to mention the fact he’d talked about it with the rest of their friends later on and they had understood completely. He hadn’t really realized it had that much of an effect on the younger boy. “You can mark me up all you want, puppy... especially the mating mark. I don’t want that to ever go away...” 

“I’ll put it back on you every time it fades...” Yunho rubs his cheek against his Hyung’s chest, right up against Seonghwa’s heartbeat, ear pressed against that spot. “I love your mark on me too...” He says in a soft, vulnerable voice. “I love you.” The words hold so much, _too_ much intention, voice strong and unwavering. “Truly, I do... always have...”

Seonghwa could never get enough of that, exchanging those words, hearing that reminder over and over again, expressing love verbally, physically, with gifts and acts of service... every way possible, any way he could think of to tell Yunho he loved him. “We’re so cheesy...” The cat hybrid laughs, petting Yunho’s ears, soft under his touch, flopping over when Seonghwa picked them up absentmindedly. “I think that’s a relief though, in a way....”

“What is?”

“Us. Being like this. Because that’s another reason we’re meant for each other, that we both love in every way possible.” Seonghwa rambles, working up a purr. He looks at the clock. It says six thirty now.... the sun would be fully up in awhile. There’s more golden light peeking above the horizon now, illuminating Yunho’s body and face from the side and making him look like a glowing angel, all sprawled across Seonghwa. He sighs. “I love you, Yunho.”

“I love you too, Hyung.” Yunho giggles.

“I love you too.” Seonghwa repeats, smiling playfully.

“Didn’t you just say that?” Yunho asked. 

“I want to make up for all the times I could have said it before... All the times I was too afraid.” Seonghwa says. And he does. Even if he might have been saying ‘I love you’ non verbally before, it felt even more special by saying the words out loud, so Yunho knew he meant them. And he’d continue to say them for as long as he was alive and with the pup.

Seonghwa moves his tail to coil together around Yunho’s like they’re holding hands, awaiting the inevitable scream of one of their friends down the hall, demanding Seonghwa make breakfast or order burritos or something... Wooyoung and San would probably demand everyone get carted off to beach town, Mingi would play along too, Hongjoong would probably enjoy shopping... Maybe him and Yeosang would bond over their similar styles? Seonghwa and Yunho would get a few strange looks from random other tourists, which they were used to at this point. Honestly though, with their group as a whole... there really wasn’t anyone who _wouldn’t_ get stared at. Didn’t matter if Yunho and him were the most outrageous when everyone else wasn’t that far behind. They’d be staying at the beach for awhile longer, though Seonghwa liked to think time was meaningless at this point. 

Him and Yunho would have their whole lives together like this. And so he wasted away in bed, merely appreciating Yunho’s breathing, chest going up and down, holding his hand, their ribbons right next to each other. Knowing they would be okay.

Knowing that this was merely the first chapter of their lives together. 

“I don’t think I want to move, Hyung...” Yunho says with a sleepy smile on his face. The sound of the sea grows quieter in the Seonghwa’s ears, replaced solely by Yunho’s heartbeat against his own, continuing steadily. Seonghwa purrs back at him. 

“We have all the time in the world, pup...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow... dunno what to say even because ive already said it a lot, but this fic has been like my baby since earlier this year and it’s been so fun to actually write it... 
> 
> ok and again THANK YOU for all the support!! im overwhelmed by any compliment that’s been given in every comment section and it’s really been a big motivator even when i couldn’t keep up with the update schedule id set up for myself.... i hope the ending was worth the wait tho!!
> 
> i will be posting new projects in the future, hoping to cram a few more in this year wether they be long or short so if you’re a yunhwa enthusiast then ive got some good news. this fic has been so so much fun to write and develop over time, and taken a lot stress off my days in the process so ig writing must be good for me
> 
> and for the final time this time, THANK YOU so much for reading, and i hope you enjoyed tiny little bows!!!<3 <3 <3


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